


Live & On Stage

by Jason Teague All-American Boy (Baylor)



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boy Band, Friendship, M/M, Teen Angst, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-18
Updated: 2013-08-18
Packaged: 2017-12-23 23:03:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/932122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Baylor/pseuds/Jason%20Teague%20All-American%20Boy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Disney Tour 2009 is coming to a city near you. Featuring Miley Cyrus as Hannah Montana, 5X Everything and the Mickey Mouse Club. Coming to 25 American cities between May 23 and September 5. Don’t miss out on the best show of the summer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1X Everything

**Author's Note:**

> Podfic available [.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/941693</a)

“Oh. My. God,” Whitney said before her hot pink High School Musical backpack had even landed on her desk. “The Disney tour is coming here.”

Braylin choked on the sip she had just taken from her juice box and Payton put both hands over her mouth.

“It. Is. Not,” Payton answered while Braylin coughed.

Whitney dropped into her seat and thrust a computer printout at the other girls. “It so totally is,” she said. “Hannah Montana, the Club and –” she took a dramatic breath, “Five Times Everything.”

Payton and Braylin both squealed and grasped at the printout with greedy hands. “I can’t believe Five Times Everything is going to be in the same state as me,” Payton said, bouncing in her seat. “We’ll be breathing the same air!”

Braylin won the printout and gripped it tight in both hands. “And the Club! I can’t believe I’m going to see Jared and Chad like, live, like, it’ll really be them!” she gushed. 

“I already texted my mom,” Whitney said. “I want to be there when the buses arrive.” She took a breath to continue but right then Mrs. Johnston closed the classroom door and said, “All right, everyone, settle down,” and the girls’ conversation had to be completed in hand signals and exaggerated faces.

* * * 

“And don’t forget to brush your teeth,” Jared’s mom was saying, and he felt his face flush as Chad snorted behind him.

“Mom, it’ll be fine,” he repeated for what felt like the zillionth time. “It’s not like I haven’t done this before.”

His mom sighed and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Not without me, you haven’t,” she said. “And besides, what am I going to do all summer if I’m not fending off your fans and making sure you have clean socks?”

“Mo-om,” Jared said, affection and embarrassment equal parts. “You’ll be fine, too. You can’t spend your whole life following me around.”

“Yeah, Mrs. P.,” Chad piped up, “those middle-aged Club fans are so sad. And don’t worry, I’ll take good care of our boy here.” He slung an arm around Jared’s shoulder.

“Oh, don’t make me think about that,” she answered. “I won’t let him out of this parking lot.” She sighed. “All right then,” she said, and held out her arms. Jared shrugged off Chad to hug his mother. “Call me. Lots,” she ordered.

“I will, Mom,” he promised. “And I’ll see you and Grandma and Grandpa at the San Antonio show.”

“So far away!” she said as she pulled back. “All those empty days!”

“You have other children,” Jared reminded her. 

“I know, I know,” she answered, waving a hand vaguely. “I think I can pick them out if I try really hard.” She set her mouth resolutely and nodded. 

“You’d better go now or you’re going to find yourself chasing after the bus, Mom,” Jared said, and she laughed shortly.

“I’m going, I’m going,” she said. “I don’t want to get in the way of Chad’s summer of corruption. Just don’t call me for bail, boys.”

“Never,” Chad promised. “That’s what Kripke is for.”

Another quick hug to Jared and one to Chad and she finally climbed into the car and left the lot. Jared and Chad stood shoulder-to-shoulder and watched her drive off. Behind them, other Clubbers were hugging good-byes, hauling baggage around, and starting to clamber onto the bus.

“Padalecki,” Chad said, “we’re free men.”

Jared felt a grin starting. He was 18 years old, he had no parental escort, and he was about to go on a cross-country tour with his best friend with thousands of screaming fangirls awaiting at every stop. 

Sometimes, it wasn’t so bad to be a Mouseketeer. 

* * * 

The tour had already officially started, with that Saturday’s huge concert at Disneyland, and wouldn’t end until Labor Day weekend, in Florida’s Disneyworld. It was Jared’s third Club tour, his fifth year with Disney, and the thrill had long since worn off. It was Chad’s fifth tour, his ninth year with Disney, and his thrill had worn off before he’d hit middle school. As soon as they got on the bus, Chad plugged in his earbuds, put on his sunglasses and zoned out, leaving Jared alone in a tin can with his castmates. 

Behind him, Tristan and Dustin were already at the Nintendo DS. Across the aisle, AnnaLynne had stretched herself out over both seats with Cosmopolitan and a don’t-touch-me air. Outside, he could hear Shenae and her mother arguing with Kripke about how many bags Shenae was allowed to bring and how large they could be. Jared sighed. Adult or not, how different could this summer be from last?

“Hey,” a voice said, and a shadow dropped over him. Alexis was situating herself in the seat ahead of him, having finished trying to suck her boyfriend’s lungs out through his mouth as they said good-bye. 

“Hey, yourself,” he answered. “Here we are again.”

Alexis grimaced. “Tell me about it. I swear, this is my last Club tour. They think we’re little wind-up toys, singing and dancing all year for the camera just to spend the summer singing and dancing for the crowd.” 

Jared shrugged. He knew Alexis really didn’t mind that much – they could be serving up fries and mopping up spills all summer. It was a privileged life, and they all knew it. But after a few years doing it, you did start to feel like a wind-up action figure.

“So, no Mrs. P?” Alexis said. “You’re a big boy now?”

“You know it,” Jared said, and waggled his eyebrows at her. Alexis laughed in delight. “I think she’s having some major separation anxiety about it,” he confessed.

“Aw.” Alexis made a face of sympathy. “Your mom is so sweet. I’m going to kind of miss her.”

“Me too,” he admitted. “Although I do think tour will be more interesting this year.” He nudged Chad, who snorted in half-sleep.

Their attention was drawn to the front of the bus by a piercing whistle. “All right, everybody, listen up!” Kripke was shouting. “Welcome to the Mickey Mouse Club 2009 Tour!” There were a few halfhearted claps and from the back Tyler gave a cowboy yell. “Until you have all been returned to this parking lot months hence, I am in charge.” This got a roar of laughter. 

“You won’t be laughing when you need me to clean up your mess,” Kripke said, completely serious. “So, please, please, please, try to play nice this summer. Murray, that means you.” Beside Jared, Chad help up a hand, one finger extended. “Thank you, I love you too, buddy,” Kripke said. “Now everybody sit down and shut up because San Francisco here we come!”

This brought a more enthusiastic round of applause and cheering. Kripke took his seat behind the driver, the doors shut and the bus roared into life. In the back, Tyler started singing, “On The Road Again,” quickly picked up by some of the other kids and a few off-tune parents. 

“Kill me now,” Chad groaned, and slumped further in his seat. 

Alexis rested her chin on the back of her seat. “We’re not even out of the parking lot, Chad,” she said evilly. “We have a whole glorious summer ahead of us.” Then she grinned happily at Jared.

He grinned back. The bus pulled onto road. 

* * * 

San Francisco looked the same as it had last year, and the year before that. The venue was the same, the rehearsal only slightly different. However, once they called it a day, Jared found himself with nothing to do until final rehearsal the next afternoon. When he was still in the under-18 crowd, their time was carefully filled with group meals and fun/educational/torturous tourist activities, not to mention mandatory lights-out and security. And here he was, money and keycard in his pocket, with no one to report to.

His mouth was dry, and he jumped when Chad slapped him on the back.

“I’m so ready,” Chad drawled, and Jared grinned at him, the flutter in his stomach telling him that fun and noise and dancing and possibly vomiting and yelling were just out there waiting for them.

“I’m past ready,” he said, and let Chad pull him into the city.

Going out with Chad always looked better in foresight than in hindsight, which was why Jared was wedged in a grimy employee bathroom at the stadium the next day rather than suffer through the clamor of the Clubbers’ Green Room as they waited for show time. Tyler and Rick were in the talent men’s room trying to light their farts, so he had quickly vacated and sought safer haven where he could close his eyes and press his aching head against the cool mirror and try to pretend that he didn’t have to smile and perform and not break a sweat in front of 4,000 people in less than an hour.

“Hey, is this, uh, sorry,” someone said as the door creaked open. Jared didn’t bother to open his eyes or acknowledge the person, figuring they were stadium staff. “Um, you okay, man?”

Jared opened his mouth and got out a croaky, “Yeah.” He could practically feel the person at the door wince. 

“Oh, you cannot go on like that,” he said, and then the door swung shut. Jared heard someone shouting something on the other side of the door and then it was blessedly quiet again. At least, as quiet as it could get with the swarms of Hannah Montana fans already in house.

The door swung open. “Here,” someone said, and thrust something plastic and cool into his hand. Jared squinted open his eyes and looked down. It was a water bottle. “Step one,” the person said and Jared looked up.

“Oh,” he said, straightening up immediately. “I’m sorry, I thought you were some staff person.”

The man shook his head. “No, just some lost person. Opened the wrong door. That’s okay, you look like you need the healing effects of the Four-Step Rapid Detox.”

“Uh,” Jared said intelligently, and the man nodded at the water bottle. 

“Step one,” he repeated, so Jared dutifully downed it. 

Step two was cold water on his face. Step three was eye drops. And step four was mouthwash, vigorously gargled.

Jared had to admit, he felt better. His companion eyed him critically. “Better?” he asked.

“Enough better,” Jared said. “I don’t usually –” He waved a hand vaguely. 

The man shrugged. “It’s cool. Happens to all of us. Especially if you hang out with people like that Murray kid.”

Jared groaned. “I should know better.”

“Something we’ve all told ourselves about that kind of buddy,” the man said, and gave Jared a blinding grin that left him momentarily stunned and blinking.

“Um, I’m sorry,” Jared repeated. “I’m also super-rude. We’ve never actually met.” He held out a hand. “I’m Jared Padalecki.”

“Jensen Ackles.” The man had a nice handshake, confident and warm. 

“Yeah, well, I mean, I know,” Jared said. “I did a movie with Tom once.”

“Oh, right,” Jensen said. “That Hillary Duff thing with all the kids.”

Jared nodded. “Anyway, nice to actually meet you. And thanks again. I better go or Kripke is going to come looking for me.”

“Can’t have that,” said Jensen, heading for the door. “Nice to meet you too, Jared. And remember, just because Murray says something is going to be super-cool does not make it true.”

Jared laughed despite himself.

* * * 

“I cannot believe these pictures of Jared and Chad at that amusement park,” Braylin said, pouring over her _Tiger Beat_ in the lunchroom. “That is so cool that they go do things together when they don’t, like, even have to. I told you guys they were really friends.”

“Just because Jared has to keep Chad out of trouble,” Payton said, giggling. 

“I don’t believe half of what people say about him,” Braylin said primly, her lips pressed tight. “I bet he’s actually super-sweet.”

“Otherwise, why would Jared be friends with him?” Whitney pointed out. “Everyone says that Jared is like the nicest guy ever.”

“I still say Alexis is his girlfriend,” Payton said, but Braylin was already shaking her head.

“No, she’s dating that guy she was at the Teen Choice Awards with,” she said with assurance. “I don’t think Jared goes out with anyone now that he and Sandy broke up.” She slapped her magazine down angrily. “I can’t believe you two watch her new show. I mean, she broke up with Jared and left the Club!”

Whitney rolled her eyes and Payton sighed dramatically. “But it’s so good!” she told Braylin. “ _Bedtime Stories_ is, like, the best show not on Disney.”

Braylin ripped the lid off her yogurt viciously. “Traitors,” she muttered, and the other girls threw up their hands in defeat.

* * * 

Jared had decided that he had some kind of moron gene that activated whenever Chad suggested they do something and made him think it sounded awesome. There really could be no other explanation for why he was standing in the parking lot alone, with no Club buses in sight.

“What do you mean, you got a ride with someone else?” he demanded of his phone.

“Dude,” Chad said on the other end of the line, “twins. Identical twins. With a convertible.”

“So you’re coming to pick me up?” Jared asked and Chad snorted.

“Are you retarded? How will that work?”

“Um, because there’s two of them,” Jared pointed out.

“One set of twins, buddy,” Chad answered. “One. Just take the luggage bus if the Club bus has left. That’s what we were going to do in the first place.”

Jared grit his teeth. “Chad,” he ground out, “did you tell the luggage bus that we needed a ride?”

“Uh, no,” Chad said. “Actually, I told them that I had a ride.” He was silent. “So, I guess they left without you, huh?”

“Good-bye, Chad,” Jared said, and snapped his phone shut. He stomped around in a tight circle while debating whether it was best to call Kripke or his mother or to just find someplace safe to hide and hope he woke up back on the Club bus. 

“Hey, Jared,” someone said before he could decide on a course of action. Jared turned around to broad shoulders and blue eyes.

“Tom, hey,” Jared said, forcing a smile. After all, Tom was the lead of 5X Everything, and had been super-nice to Jared on their movie set. Jared’s mom had always been good at drilling the importance of positive connections into him.

Tom was scanning the parking lot. “Is it just me, or did the kiddie buses leave you behind?”

Jared barked a laugh. “It’s not just you. Actually, it’s just Chad. Or I guess it’s just me, since Chad is long gone.”

Tom laughed, but it was warm and sincere. He put a hand on Jared’s shoulder. “Come on, man. You can hitch a ride with us.”

Jared ran a hand through his hair nervously. “Are you sure? That would be awesome, but I don’t want to butt in.”

Tom shook his head. “After four years together, we welcome new blood. There’s only so many times you can hear Rosenbaum tell about his donkey-show trip to Tijuana.”

Jared felt his eyes widening despite himself, but Tom laughed again. “Come on, I’ll tell him to be on good behavior,” he said, and really, they were all going to the same place, weren’t they? Surely Rosenbaum’s stories couldn’t be worse than calling Kripke.

“What’s the jail bait doing on the bus?” Chris Kane boomed as soon as Jared climbed the steps behind Tom. He was smiling, though.

“Abandoned to his fate by the Clubbers,” Tom said, and swung himself into a seat. Jared sat in front of him. “Do you know everyone?” Tom asked, and then pointed. “Steve and Chris, in the back. Michael, on the laptop. And here, joining us late, is Jensen.” 

Jensen, just coming down the aisle, sat in front of Jared. “Hey, Jared. Catching a ride?” he asked, but didn’t wait for an answer before arranging himself in his seat.

Jared looked around. The bus was the same size as the Club bus, but while their bus held 15 teenagers, numerous parents and Kripke, the band members were the only ones on board besides him.

“Just you guys?” he asked Tom, who nodded.

“If we have friends or family with us, they’ll come along, but we’re all solo this summer. Our manager finds her own way. It’s kind of nice, having a quiet ride,” he said, and Jared nodded. The Club bus was never quiet.

Tom talked to Jared about the summer for a bit, but before the bus was even on the highway, his phone beeped at him and he excused himself, moving a few seats down.

“Don’t mind him,” Jensen said. “He’s always trying to sneak in private time with his girl, even if it’s just on the phone.”

“Personally, I appreciate him being a little private about his phone sex,” Michael said dryly from across the aisle, not looking up from the laptop. 

“He’s still with Jamie, right?” Jared said, and Jensen nodded. “She doesn’t come on tour?”

Jensen grimaced but Michael answered, finally looking up. “Channel doesn’t like it. Thinks it detracts from his appeal to sex-starved pimply teens if he’s in a serious relationship.”

“Oh.” Jared didn’t know what to say. The Club loved their kids going out together. Of course, they only loved it if you dated other Club kids and never fought or broke up or did anything more than kissed and held hands. Jared wasn’t sure how old Tom was, but definitely in his mid-20s, and probably past the holding hands phase.

“Besides,” Jensen said, “Michael has to watch that filthy mouth of his when we have other people on the bus.”

“You know it, bitch,” Michael said cheerfully. “And don’t expect me to clean up the language for the junior mint over there.”

“I’m 18!” Jared protested and both Jensen and Michael laughed. 

“Eighteen,” Michael murmured. “That was a gazillion years ago, wasn’t it, Jen?”

“Gazillion and one,” Jensen answered.

The bus was quiet, and Jared found himself half-dozing as he stretched out across the seat – also a comfort the crowded Club bus usually didn’t allow for. In the back, Steve and Chris were both strumming guitars and singing together softly. Jared was surprised – he didn’t know any of these guys could play instruments. Tom’s voice murmured softly on the phone. Michael typed busily on the laptop, and Jensen got some papers out of his bag and sorted and made notes.

“Hey, Jared, aren’t you from Texas?” Jared jerked out of his reverie to find that the sun had moved and Jensen had put his work away. He shifted and stretched, nodding.

“San Antonio, originally,” he answered. “My family moved out to LA when I got picked for Club.”

Jensen nodded. “My family’s right outside Dallas,” he said.

“Still?” Jared asked, and Jensen nodded.

“I went out to LA when I was 18, said I’d try the acting thing for a year and if it didn’t work out go back home to college,” he said. “Did that Disney musical movie and the next thing I knew, got offered Five Times. And here we are.”

Jared grinned. “Not bad for being 18 on your own, huh?”

Jensen shrugged. “I enjoy the music, and we’re lucky that we all get along – no real bad apples here. None of us cared much for our first manager, Dawn, but now we’re with Samantha and she’s a great fit. I miss acting, though – that’s what I really wanted to do.”

“Oh,” Jared said, then stopped himself from wincing. He was suddenly the worst conversationalist ever. “You’ve done some movies, haven’t you?”

Jensen nodded. “Couple of Channel movies, one studio. But we’ll see – never know what’s in the future, right?”

Jared nodded. He hadn’t thought much about his own future, and Jensen’s words were making him wonder where he was going to be in four years, when he was Jensen’s age. He hoped he wasn’t still on a Disney bus, he suddenly realized.

As if sensing his thoughts, Jensen asked, “What about you? Turned 18, gotta be getting close to the end of your Club days. Any big plans?”

Jared rubbed the end of his nose nervously. “I don’t know,” he said slowly. “I haven’t thought much about it. I’m signed for another year.”

Jensen nodded. “Well, you seem to like it,” he offered, and Jared found himself nodding in agreement. He did like the Club – he liked most of his castmates, and he enjoyed the music and the skits and the touring. 

“Just, listen, Jared,” and Jared looked up, surprised by Jensen’s softly serious tone. Steady green eyes were looking right at him. “You should really put some thought into what you want and where you want to go. If you don’t make decisions, people end up making them for you, especially in this business. You don’t want to wake up five years from now and not know how to get back from where you are.”

“Yeah,” Jared said slowly. “Thanks.”

Jensen smiled at him and leaned back in his seat, shutting his eyes. “Sure thing,” he said, and stretched out for a nap. 

* * * 

“No,” Jared said. “No no no.”

“Dude, I can’t believe you’re still mad at me over that twins thing,” Chad said. 

“You left me stranded in the parking lot!” Jared said. 

“Just that once,” Chad said. “And anyway – twins.” He held out both hands in a what-could-I-do gesture. 

“Girls!” Kripke yelled, popping open the door. “We’re waiting on you. And you’d better not be doing anything I need to cover up out here.”

Jared snorted and pushed past Kripke. “Dude!” Chad implored again as he followed him. “Hey, Kripke, talk some sense into him. He’s turning into a bigger drama queen than Shenae.”

“Not possible,” Kripke muttered. “Anyway, you two are big boys, sort it out yourselves. I’m not your baby-sitter.” 

Both Jared and Chad turned to look at Kripke with raised eyebrows. 

“Anymore,” Kripke added. “Kind of.” He sighed and ran a hand over his thinning hair. “What’s your gripe, Murray?”

“Jared’s a little bitch,” Chad said.

“Chad left me stranded in a parking lot,” Jared shot back. “For girls.”

“Twins,” Chad corrected.

“Identical twins?” Kripke asked. Chad nodded and smugly folded his arms over his chest.

Kripke patted Jared on the arm. “Sorry, buddy, you lose. Now, get your butts on the stage, you’re holding up rehearsal.”

Jared tossed his hands up angrily and stomped toward the stage, a laughing Chad in tow. 

“Seriously, man, I’m sorry,” Chad said as they bounded up the stairs. “Come out with me tonight. I’ll be good, pinky-swear.” He held up his hand, pinky finger extended. 

Jared rolled his eyes and hooked his pinky through Chad’s, then pulled back hard. Chad howled and doubled over. “Only if we bring Bret,” he said. 

“Owwww,” Chad whined, shaking out his finger. “What, you need a chaperone to be alone with me, Padalecki?”

“Apparently,” Jared said dryly. “Maybe it will keep my neurons firing.”

“Your what?” Chad said, and then shrugged. “All right, fine, whatever, Bret’s cool. Watch out Salt Lake City, the Mormons are about to lose some virgins!”

“You mean yourself, I assume,” Jared said, then ducked and ran out on stage, laughing, as Chad swung at him.

* * * 

“Again, Jared? Really?” 

Jared ignored the people entering the talents’ men’s room and finished putting the eye drops in his eyes before grabbing his mouthwash and gargling enthusiastically. Behind him, Jensen and Michael were shaking their heads. Jared spit and wiped his mouth.

“I thought I had it all worked out,” he said, waving a hand wildly for emphasis. “I thought, I just need some back-up. So we brought Bret with us.”

“Harrison? Did that help?” Michael asked, not bothering to hide his amusement.

In response, Jared just pointed at one of the stalls. Jensen jiggled it, found it unlatched and swung it open. Bret was kneeling in front of the basin, panting.

“I’m just gonna stay here until our 10-minute call,” Bret gasped. “No point in getting up.”

“Dude, is your vomit blue?” Jensen asked.

“Blue Maui,” Jared supplied, and both Jensen and Michael groaned, “Ewwww.”

“So where’s Murray?” Michael asked.

“Beeee-yaches!” someone yelled, slamming open the door. “Come on, girlies, it’s almost 10-minute call. Shake it off and let’s go!”

“Wow, you’re chipper,” Jensen said to Chad, who grinned.

“Why shouldn’t I be?” Chad said. “This is an awesome city. I hope you old folks are enjoying it as much as me and my homies, sad lot that they are.”

“Us and our homies are down with it,” Michael said, and Jensen made a choking noise. “We’ll see you kiddies later,” and with a wave they were both gone.

“Dude,” Jared said tiredly. 

“What?” Chad said. “And where’s Bret? Show time!” He clapped his hands, loud and quick, then added a howl. 

“Show time,” Jared said, and went to help Bret off the floor.


	2. 2X Everything

Payton walked into the girls’ room to find Braylin and Whitney huddled around an open magazine. They quickly shut it and Whitney put it behind her back. 

“What are you doing?” Payton asked. 

“Nothing,” the other girls said together, flushing. 

“Liars,” Payton said, and grabbed the magazine. It was _People_.

“Don’t look, Payton,” Braylin said.

Whitney put an arm around Payton. “She’ll just see it online,” she told Braylin, and turned to page 23.

“What?” Payton gasped. The headline read, “Wedding Bells for 5X Everything’s Tommy?”

“It doesn’t say they’re actually getting married,” Whitney said. “Just that someone who knows them said Tommy might be getting close to asking her.”

“And she’s not even on tour with them like she was last year,” Braylin said. 

“Only because she had college-things to do,” Payton sniffed. “I don’t care what you guys say, she’s too old for him.”

Braylin and Whitney exchanged a knowledgeable look over Payton’s head. “Well, he is the oldest,” Braylin said timidly.

“He isn’t even,” Whitney said. “Michael is.”

“Oh,” Braylin said with a dismissive wave, “Michael is great but he’s just the funny one. Honestly, Payton, I don’t know why you don’t like Jensen more. He’s so cute.”

“I just love the way Tommy takes care of everyone and keeps them all together,” Payton said, her lower lip trembling. “It won’t be the same, ever again, if he and Jamie get married.”

“These magazines don’t know what they’re talking about anyway,” Whitney said and decisively took it out of Payton’s hands and made to pitch it in the trash. Payton squealed and grabbed it back.

“Well, I want to cut out his picture!” she said defensively, and hurried out of the room as the bell rang.

* * * 

 

*

People Magazine, May 2009

“Wedding Bells for 5X Everything’s Tommy?”

Boy band sensation Tommy Welling may be ready to pop the question.

A close friend of the 5X Everything lead singer says that Welling has been looking at rings for long-time girlfriend Jamie White.

“They’ve been together for a while now and she’s about to finish college,” the source said. “He’s really devoted to her and wants to make it permanent.”

Good luck, Tommy! — People

* * *

Jared, facedown on his bed, didn’t bother to look up when someone knocked at his door. When they knocked again, he shouted, “I said no!”

“No what?” said a voice from the hallway. It was definitely not Chad, and Jared scrambled out of bed to answer the door.  
   
“Hey, Alexis,” he said, letting her in. She took in his mussed appearance with amusement. He’d come straight back to the room after rehearsal, showered, pulled on sweats and a T-shirt and crashed onto the bed.  
   
“Nice look,” she said, and made herself comfortable in the armchair. “Definitely a Teen Beat cover shot.”  
   
“Shut up, Miss Seventeen Magazine Prom Issue,” he said, and flopped back onto the bed.  
   
Alexis grinned good-naturedly. “So, no what?” she repeated.  
   
“Oh,” Jared said vaguely, and tossed an arm over his eyes. “I thought you were Chad. So, it was no to whatever he wanted. I’m Chadded out.”  
   
“Wow, and that only took what, five years?” Alexis said. “Gotta be a record.”  
   
“Yeah, most people are Chadded out in like five days,” Jared answered. “What’s up?”  
   
“I want food,” Alexis answered decisively. “In a restaurant. I want to go sit down somewhere and have someone come ask nicely what I want to eat and then bring it to me.”  
   
Jared stretched and yawned, thinking. “I like food,” he said, but didn’t move.  
   
Alexis nudged him in the leg with her foot. “Come on, take a girl out,” she implored. “Besides, I never see you anymore.”  
   
“Just because we’re not tied to our mothers, enduring endless group activities,” Jared pointed out, smiling to soften his words. Alexis had made those endless group activities bearable for many years, especially after he and Sandy had split up.  
   
He sat up decisively. “Let me change,” he said. “Can’t take a girl out looking like a slob.”  
   
“Atta boy!” Alexis crowed. “I want dessert too.”  
   
“Wow,” Jared said. “Don’t let the paparazzi catch you eating it.” She slapped at him as he walked by to the bathroom.  
   
The front desk recommended a place with “unbelievably sinful” chocolate cake right up the street. It was small, and no one noticed the two teenagers, so they were unharassed. They were waiting for their dinner, Jared listening to Alexis talk about a new teen drama she might audition for during the July break, when a hand clapped down on Jared’s shoulder.  
   
“I’m sorry,” Tom said when Jared looked up, “but aren’t you Jared Padalecki, Mickey Mouse Club superstar?”  
   
“Oh my God,” Michael said, coming up behind Tom, “and it’s Disney Princess Alexis Bledel. Wait until I tell everyone tomorrow in biology!”  
   
“Hey, guys,” Jared said, then glimpsed Jensen, Steve and Chris coming in behind them. “Alexis, this is Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum.”  
   
“Hi, Tom,” Alexis said, extending her hand. “Nice to meet you. Sadly, I know this one,” and she grinned up at Michael.  
   
“Shhh,” Michael said. “That god-awful Channel movie never happened. I’ve never laid eyes on you before.” He leaned in to hug her once Tom relinquished her hand. “How are you, kiddo?”  
   
“I’m great,” she said as the rest of the group came over.  
   
“Join us,” Tom said, and when Jared and Alexis tried to protest they were shouted down and then hauled out of their chairs to a large corner booth.  
   
Jared found himself wedged between Jensen and Tom while Michael and Chris lodged Alexis in between them and set about outrageously vying for her attention. Jared watched them a little anxiously until he determined that neither man actually had lecherous intent, and until he was convinced that Alexis was enjoying the attention.  
   
Tom and Steve were deep in conversation about some changes to their act lineup, leaving Jared and Jensen sitting silent and smushed together at the other end of the booth.  
   
“So, hey,” Jared said, and then mentally chastised himself for his awesome powers of conversation. He didn’t know why he could never seem to form a full sentence around Jensen, especially when everyone said he never shut up the rest of the time.  
   
Jensen gave him a crooked smile and Jared could swear he knew what Jared had just been thinking. “Hey,” Jensen answered politely. “I see you’ve moved up the Club social chain.”  
   
Jared laughed. “I’ve just gotten smarter. It happens, eventually,” he admitted, then added, “Alexis and I started in Club together.”  
   
“The old vanguard,” Jensen said sagely, making Jared shrug and blush. He squirmed a little, trying to get more comfortable in the overcrowded bench, Jensen warm against his side.  
   
“I guess,” he said, fiddling nervously with his napkin, inexplicably embarrassed by his long tenure with the Mickey Mouse Club. “At least I haven’t been there as long as Chad.”  
   
“I was under the impression that was because no one else would have Chad,” Jensen said without malice, and it relaxed Jared enough to laugh sincerely.  
   
“Possibly,” he said, then changed it to, “Probably.” A twinge of guilt made him add, “Chad’s not so bad. He’s just kind of . . . enthusiastic.”  
   
“I’ll take your word for it,” Jensen said dryly.  
   
“No, really,” Jared said, shaking his head, “he can be a good friend. You should see him if he thinks someone has hurt one of his friends. He just doesn’t always think a lot of things through. Or, you know, think anything through.”  
   
Jensen smiled easily. “Again, I’ll take your word for it,” he said. “I don’t really know him, just what I read in the rags and online.”  
   
Jared groaned and leaned back in his seat. “Don’t tell me you troll the Internet for Channel gossip,” he said, and Jensen shrugged.  
   
“On occasion, especially before we’re going to tour with someone,” he admitted. “Call it research. Anyway, relax. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a single scandalous tidbit about you, unless you count those pictures of you and Chad trying to polka at that Oktoberfest.”  
   
Jared slid down in the booth and covered his face with a hand. “Sadly, we weren’t even drinking,” he muttered.  
   
“Don’t you think that by your age you should have a scandalous tidbit or two out there, Padalecki?” drawled Chris, leaning across the table and joining in.  
   
“Who, Jared?” Alexis said with a laugh. “He wouldn’t hurt a flea. He’s the good boy, don’t you know.”  
   
“He’s young,” Michael said. “Give him time. I bet we could do some corrupting.”  
   
Alexis slapped a tiny hand definitely on the table. “I won’t have it,” she said firmly. “There has to be someone left in Club that I’m not worried will stab me in the back.”  
   
“Oh, it’s hard to be the queen, isn’t it, Lexi?” Michael said, sighing dramatically and putting a hand over his heart.  
   
“I wouldn’t know, Michael,” she answered archly. “Are you trying to tell us something?”  
   
That brought a roar of laughter from the table, and dinner soon followed. It wasn’t the quiet evening they’d been looking for, but Jared found himself having a lot of fun with all of the guys, and Alexis was in her element, princess at a table of suitors.  
   
After dinner, Jared excused himself for the bathroom, followed by Jensen and Michael. While they were washing up, Jensen said casually, “So is Alexis your girl now?”  
   
“What?” Jared asked, surprised. “Oh, no. She’s been dating that guy from the new X-Men series for a few months now. We’re just hanging out.”  
   
Jensen nodded. “Just wondered,” he said, and left. Jared started to follow and was startled to find Michael looking at him hard. He checked himself in the mirror quickly, then checked his fly.  
   
“Am I good?” he asked Michael, who grinned wryly.  
   
“Yep,” he said, and clapped Jared on the shoulder, steering him back out to the restaurant.  
   
A teenage girl out to dinner with her parents was waiting at the table, and everyone accommodated with a group photo, to the girls’ delight and her parents’ amusement. Then Chris and Michael declared that they were hitting the bars. Jared and Alexis recognized it as their cue to say good night.  
   
As they scrambled out of the booth and Michael and Tom argued about who was picking up the bill, a hand rested lightly between Jared’s shoulder blades. He looked up to see Jensen smiling at him.  
   
“Thanks for joining us,” Jensen said, and Jared wondered why he never thought this guy was insincere. He couldn’t be nice all the time, right?  
   
“Yeah, sure,” Jared said, and ran a hand through his hair.  
   
“I’m glad we ran into you,” Jensen added. “Hope we do again.”  
   
Jared nodded, and then Alexis was tugging at his arm and saying something low and obscene over her shoulder to Chris that had him doubled over in laughter. He let Alexis drag him out of the restaurant, looking back once to see Jensen and Michael watching him and talking to each other.  
   
“That was fun,” Alexis said happily as they walked back to the hotel.  
   
“Yeah, it was,” Jared answered. “They’re all really nice guys. I’ve never really hung out with any of them except Tom before this year.”  
   
Alexis hooked her arm through Jared’s. “I know Michael has this reputation of kind of being a douche bag but he was very cool to me when we did that movie together,” she said.  
   
“You played his little sister, didn’t you?” Jared asked, and she nodded.  
   
“Right after I’d started Club,” she said. “Seems like eons ago, doesn’t it?”  
   
“Mm-hmm,” Jared said absently, then softly elbowed her. “Hey, by the way, I think Jensen likes you.”  
   
“What?” Alexis gave a startled laugh. “What makes you think that?”  
   
“He wanted to know if you were my girlfriend,” Jared said. “Asked while we were in the bathroom.”  
   
“Oh, sweetie.” Alexis patted Jared’s arm. “I don’t think he was asking because he likes me.”  
   
“Why not?” Jared asked, feeling a little ruffled that anyone would not like Alexis.  
   
“Because I’m not his type,” Alexis said. “I think he was asking because he likes you.”  
   
“Wha—” Jared started, then stopped, furling his brow. “Ooooh,” he said a second later, then, “Really? Are you sure?”  
   
Alexis shrugged. “Pretty sure. He’s never had a girlfriend, never takes a girl to events. Besides, he was watching you all night, and I don’t think it’s because he was jealous of your lasagna.”  
   
“Really?” Jared said again. “I’m just, I don’t know. I’ve never had a guy like me before. Not that Jensen’s not cool and all, I just . . . I’m just surprised,” he ended lamely.  
   
Alexis patted his arm. “Don’t worry about it,” she said. “There’s no rule about having to like someone back. Or that you can’t like someone back. Or that you have to decide right this second, when you really don’t know him.”  
   
Jared huffed out a breath. “I know,” he said. “I’ve just, you know, always dated girls.”  
   
Alexis stopped walking, causing Jared to turn and look at her. “Jared,” she said sternly. “You’ve dated one girl.”  
   
“Well,” Jared said obstinately, knowing she was right, “I guess that makes me 100 percent heterosexual in my dating choices.”  
   
Alexis rolled her eyes and started walking again. “Well, I think he’s adorable,” she said. “If I didn’t think he was gay, I might have to drop Iceman to become a Five Times Everything groupie.”  
   
“I can get you a T-shirt,” Jared said. “Maybe a twin sheet set. And don’t forget a Five Times Everything Trapper Keeper.”  
   
They both started laughing and kept it up right into the hotel.  
   
* * * 

Jared totally did not find himself looking for Jensen backstage. Or in the parking lot when the buses were loading.

He also totally did not go online and confirm that Jensen didn’t have a girlfriend or seem to have ever had a girlfriend.  
   
He completely did not find out that 5X Everything had all gone on vacation to Hawaii to surf together earlier in the year and he so did not have to admit to himself that Jensen looked pretty good in the paparazzi shots of him at the beach.  
   
And he so would never put that story about Jensen spending a whole day at Disneyland with that little girl with cancer in his Favorites. If he had, that would be the stupidest, most girly thing he had ever done, and he had been known to do a lot of stupid and a lot of girly things.  
   
He also did not get out his box of Sandy memorabilia and drunkenly cry over it before Alexis ripped it out of his hands and declared that he could have it back when he was ready, in a year or two.  
   
“Dude,” Chad said the next morning, “that was one of the stupidest, most girly things you’ve ever done.”  
   
“Shuddup,” Jared muttered from under his comforter, and Chad gave his exposed calf a resounding thwop with his open palm.  
   
“I thought you were through with all the moping and the weeping,” Chad said. “You said it was better for both of you.”  
   
“I know,” Jared said, and flipped the covers off his head. “I just never thought about dating somebody else.”  
   
Chad was eyeballing him suspiciously. “And who are you thinking about dating now?” he asked. “Please tell me it’s not AnnaLynne.”  
   
Jared groaned. “Don’t even think it,” he said, then added a little white lie. “I don’t mean someone specific, just, you know, thinking about dating other people. And, I don’t know, it’s weird to think about getting to know someone and deciding if I like them, when I knew Sandy, like, forever and always liked her.”  
   
Chad was chewing on his thumbnail. He almost looked anxious. “Okay,” he said. “Just promise me one thing – it’s not Alexis, is it? Because that could be a big mess.”  
   
“Nooo,” Jared said, and when Chad scowled at him he held up both hands in surrender. “I swear! No more Club dating, man.”  
   
“All right, all right,” Chad said, then waggled his eyebrows at Jared. “You know, if you’re finally getting tired of your own two hands, I’m pretty sure I can hook you up with a cure for that.”  
   
“No skeezy women,” Jared said quickly.  
   
“There’s an amazing number of totally legal women who are disturbingly into the Disney Channel,” Chad began, and Jared kicked him off the bed along with the rest of the blankets.  
   
* * * 

Of course, Jared ran into Jensen when he wasn’t looking for him, coming out of the hotel gym with Michael and Chris while Jared was headed in. Jensen did not look nicely built and adorably sweaty and rumpled in his gym clothes, and Jared did not feel too tall and gangly and awkward.  
   
But even if that were true, there was no way Jared could deny that he acted like an utter goober.  
   
“Hey, Jared,” Jensen said, friendly and clearly happy to run into him.  
   
“Oh!” Jared said. “Oh, hey. Hi,” and then stared at his sneakers because otherwise he was just going to stare at Jensen and he could just feel Chris and Michael eyeballing him.  
   
“Ah, I guess they’re keeping you busy,” Jensen said, and Jared could hear the wary note in his voice. He cleared his throat and did his best to come up with an answer that made sense, which was difficult because there was a slow, hot flush working its way up his body.  
   
“Um, yeah,” he said. “We’ve had a bunch of publicity stuff lately.” Then he stood there stupidly, trying to think of something to say. Michael cleared his throat.  
   
“Better let you get to the gym then,” Jensen said slowly. “Gotta look good for the fans.”  
   
Jared looked up and gave him a quick smile. “Right,” he said. “Nice to see you again,” and then he hurried into the gym without waiting for an answer.  
   
After he almost killed himself by flummoxing the use of equipment, Jared gave up on the gym and instead went for a long, hard run, followed by an equally long shower. Neither made him feel like less of an ass. Here he’d been, wanting to see Jensen again for more than a week, and he had totally acted like a moron. Jensen must think he was mentally deficient.  
   
Chad was in a meeting with his agent, and Alexis was no where to be found, so –  
   
“SAW JEN. THINK I LIKE HIM. AM IDIOT,” he texted Alexis. A reply came back almost immediately.  
   
“OMG I AM ALWYS RIGHT. WHY IDIOT?”  
   
“NO SMALL TALK BLUSH ALL OVER.”  
   
“AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! GOING INTO MGR MTNG BACK SOON TELL ME ALL!”  
   
Jared snorted and smiled, already feeling a little better as he snapped his phone shut. He found Bret and Dustin down the hall engaged in some serious gaming and found that a solid hour of virtually blasting did a lot to calm a guy down.  
   
It also helped to know that Alexis would surely come back armed with detailed plans of how to make Jared not be an idiot. Jared let himself become one with the controller and stop worrying.  
   
* * * 

Alexis’ plans included having a ready list of interesting topics to discuss, remembering to look Jensen in the face, and arranging to run into him on a regular basis. The first was easy enough to come up with and memorize, the second Jared thought he could handle if he just kept reminding himself, but the third was turning out to be impossible. Oddly enough, he kept running into Tom or Steve or anybody but Jensen. The one time he did catch him, coming out of the Green Room, Jensen had just nodded politely and hurried down the hall without stopping. Chris, following in Jensen’s wake, had given Jared what he could have sworn was a scowl as he walked by.

“I think we were just wrong,” he told Alexis later that day. “It was stupid anyway. I mean, I’m not even sure if I’d like to date a guy.”  
   
“You totally want to date that guy,” Alexis said. “And you don’t know what’s up with him. Maybe he has other things going on and he’s just not thinking about the oh-so-cute Jared Padalecki of the Mickey Mouse Club.”  
   
“Maybe,” Jared said glumly. He couldn’t help feeling a little betrayed. After all, he had actually admitted to himself that he found another guy attractive, and now it seemed like the other guy didn’t like him after all. It didn’t seem very considerate of Jensen.  
   
He guessed he hadn’t quite given up yet, though, because he found himself hanging around the talent doors at the venue the next day, knowing that 5X Everything was due to come in and rehearse soon. Instead of Jensen, though, Michael came strolling in and caught his eye. Jared gave him a half-wave and a smile, but to his surprise, Michael’s face darkened.  
   
“Are you kidding?” he said. “Scram, Padalecki.”  
   
“Uh,” Jared said.  
   
“Now,” Michael said, and started moving toward him. “That wasn’t a suggestion.”  
   
Jared began backing up instinctively and held his hands out in front of him. “What the hell, Michael?” he said, and then his back hit the wall. Michael kept moving until he was right in Jared’s face.  
   
“Look, if you’re too much of an insecure little boy to deal with other people’s personal choices, that’s your business,” Michael said, very quiet and somehow very threatening. “But you keep whatever you think you know to yourself, and you just stay the hell away from Jensen.”  
   
“What?!” Jared said, and cringed inwardly as his voice cracked a little. This had not been in the game plan that he and Alexis had so carefully crafted.  
   
“You didn’t seem to have a problem with him until after that night at dinner,” Michael said, still low and dangerous.  
   
“I don’t have a problem with him now!” Jared protested. “What the hell are you talking about?”  
   
Michael backed up a pace and scrutinized Jared. “You sure seemed like you had a problem with him that day outside the gym,” he said flatly and Jared felt his face go suddenly, blazingly red. “And you look like you know exactly what I’m talking about,” Michael added with contempt.  
   
“No, wait,” Jared said, starting to put the pieces together. “Wait, wait, wait. Do you think, I mean, did Jensen think that I was being, that it was weird because I thought, I mean I don’t even know for sure but maybe I thought –”  
   
“Spit it out,” Michael said. “That you thought what? That Jensen was gay and suddenly you couldn’t even look him in the face?”  
   
“That’s what he thought?” Jared gasped in disbelief.  
   
“What it looked like to me,” Michael said. “And maybe you don’t think about how that feels to the other person, but it’s Jensen’s business, not yours, and not anyone else’s, and if you can’t act like a decent human being to him, you can at least leave him alone.”  
   
Jared slammed his head back against the wall. “I’m such an idiot,” he said. “Actually, idiot isn’t even a big enough word for it.”  
   
“I won’t argue,” Michael said, and turned to walk away. Jared reached out and grabbed his arm.  
   
“Wait, wait,” he said, then hastily removed his hand at a black look from Michael. “No, I mean, that wasn’t it at all. I mean, I wasn’t freaked out because I thought Jensen might be gay. Because, I don’t know if he is or not but that’s all right, it doesn’t bother me, I’m in show business, I know lots of gay people.”  
   
Michael didn’t quite look like he believed Jared, but at least he wasn’t leaving. “What, then?” he demanded. “Because there was something up with you that day.”  
   
Jared didn’t know how he could get redder, but he could feel it happening. “It’s just that,” and he knew he was nearly whispering, “Alexis thought that maybe Jensen might, you know, like me. And then,” Jared ran a frustrated hand through his hair, “then I started thinking about how nice he is and fun and cute and I’ve never thought that about a guy before and then I kept wanting to run into him but didn’t and then he was just like, there, and I’m an idiot and I didn’t know what to say and it was really, really stupid but I didn’t think that he would think that I . . .” He trailed off and looked at Michael pleadingly.  
   
“Oh. My. God,” Michael said. “You’re serious.”  
   
Jared nodded miserably. “I didn’t know I’d hurt his feelings,” he said. “I had this whole plan of things to talk about and looking him in the face and was going to do better, really, but I guess now he must be pretty mad.”  
   
Michael sputtered and suddenly had Jared by the collar and was hauling him into a costume room and shutting the door firmly behind them. He then leaned against it and began laughing so hard tears came out his eyes.  
   
“It’s not funny,” Jared said sullenly, knowing that he sounded like a sulky little kid and unable to stop himself.  
   
“It’s kinda funny,” Michael said, and then put a reassuring hand on Jared’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, man,” he said sincerely. “You’re lucky it ended up being me in your face about it – Kane wanted to pummel you right there in the gym.”  
   
“Really?” Jared asked. “I guess I screwed everything up.”  
   
“It’s all right,” Michael said sincerely. “We can get a little . . . protective of Jensen and his feelings and his privacy. Sometimes it can make us jump to conclusions. Apparently.”  
   
“So,” Jared shuffled his feet, afraid to look up while he asked, “are Jensen’s feelings really hurt?”  
   
“Yes,” Michael said baldly, but he was smiling when Jared peeked up at him. “But I’ll tell him that we talked and that it was just a misunderstanding. It’ll be cool.”  
   
“Um, are you going to tell him . . .” Jared put a nervous, clammy hand on the back of his neck.  
   
“Nooo,” Michael said. “I don’t play matchmaker. Besides, you’ve got your whole plan with the list of things to talk about and looking Jensen in the face.”  
   
Jared gave him a dirty look. “I know it’s a stupid plan,” he said.  
   
“Of course it is,” Michael said. “But, all right, here, give me your phone.”  
   
“Huh?” Jared said, but he was already handing it over and Michael was typing away and handing it back.  
   
“His number. It’s in there now,” he said. “Why don’t you act like a normal person and call him up? You know, dinner, a movie, that kind of thing.”  
   
“A date?” Jared asked, staring down at the 10 numbers and the name “JENSEN” magically on his screen.  
   
“It’s a customary part of getting to know someone you’d eventually like to be naked with,” Michael said. “Just give me a day to make sure I’ve put everything back where it should be.”  
   
“Thanks,” said Jared, feeling and sounding dazed. “I guess this is stupid to ask now, but, I mean, would he want to go on a date with me?”  
   
“Yes,” Michael said. “And yes. So, I’m gonna go rehearse and I’ll talk to Jensen and you,” he waved a hand vaguely, “you go do whatever it is you kiddies do for fun and see if you can’t work yourself up into calling sometime in the next few days.”  
   
“Okay,” Jared said, still feeling and sounding dazed. “Thank you. A lot.”  
   
“Yeah, yeah,” Michael said, and was out the door, leaving Jared still staring in rapture at his phone.  
   
* * *  

Jared decided he definitely should not call that night because he didn’t know when Michael was going to talk to Jensen. Then he couldn’t call the next night because afternoon Club rehearsal went way off course and the director called them back for evening rehearsal and kept them there until Kripke declared it was too late for the minors and ordered everyone to bed.  
   
The next night was show night, so calling seemed out of the question. And the night after that they were on the road until 7 p.m. and slated to be back on the bus at 8 a.m., and Jared thought it didn’t seem like the best night to call. At least, that’s what he was telling himself as he lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling.  
   
His phone started playing _Barbie Girl_ , and he yanked it out of his pocket. “CALL YET?” the message demanded.  
   
“NO,” he sent back and got an angry face in response. He was trying to come up with some kind of defense when someone knocked at his door. Phone in hand, he stomped over and yanked it open.  
   
“You’re not being help—“ He cut the sentence off when he realized it wasn’t Alexis. In fact, it was Jensen.  
   
It was Jensen looking super-cute in jeans and a t-shirt. It was also Jensen with a pizza.  
   
“I could come back later,” Jensen said. “Or with a different pizza. You’re not a vegetarian, are you? I got a supreme because I wasn’t sure.”  
   
Jared did not feel like an idiot in his gym shorts and his worn-out MMC rehearsal t-shirt. He also did not feel covered in road grime. And he was sure that his hair was not sticking up everywhere.  
   
“Jensen! Hi!” he said, and while his conversation still sucked, he at least remembered to look Jensen in the face.  
   
“Jared. Hi,” Jensen answered.  
   
“You’re here!” Jared said, because he was the biggest loser ever.  
   
“I’m here,” Jensen said, and suddenly he looked unsure of himself. “I thought maybe dinner?” He held up the pizza box. “Maybe a movie or some Xbox?”  
   
Jared felt a giant, dopey smile growing across his face. “That would be, well, it would be great,” he said, and suddenly realized that Jensen was still standing in the hallway. “Oh, duh. Come in,” and he held open the door. Jensen came in and set the pizza on the table.  
   
“Nice room,” he said. “Looks just like mine.”  
   
“Yeah,” Jared said, and huffed a short laugh. “Do you, um, did you . . . There’s a soda machine outside. You want something?”  
   
“Sure,” Jensen said, pulling out a chair. “Pepsi, Coke, whatever they have.”  
   
Jared dug change out of his bag and tried not to run down the hall to the machine. His fingers were clumsy feeding in the coins, and the cans felt wonderfully cool in his sweaty hands.  
   
When he got back to the room, Jensen was scrolling through Jared’s iPod, which had been sitting on the table.  
   
“Okay?” Jensen asked, holding it up. “Or are you iShy?”  
   
“Just let me say that some of that music is on there for professional purposes,” Jared said firmly, setting the sodas down and pulling out the chair across from Jensen.  
   
Jensen laughed. “I’m in a boy band, Jared,” he said. “Your Disney pop will not phase me.” He scrolled for a few minutes then set the iPod down and opened the pizza box. “You actually have wider musical tastes than I would have guessed,” he said.  
   
Jared shrugged and pulled out a slice, using a napkin as a plate. “Mom loves folk music. My older brother loves classic rock. Dad likes country. And I have a little sister. I get a sampling of all of it when I’m home,” he said.  
   
Jensen was digging into his own pizza. “You still at home?” he asked, and Jared nodded.  
   
“Well, when I’m not doing this,” he amended once he’d swallowed, waving to the hotel room. “Are you going to see your family when we’re in Texas?”  
   
Jensen nodded. “I’m going to spend the July break with them,” he said. “I haven’t really had any time with them since Christmas, so that’ll be nice.”  
   
Jared nodded and focused on his pizza, suddenly out of things to say. Jensen didn’t seem to mind, though, and they ate in companionable silence. Jared put away two slices and started more slowly on the third.  
   
“Jensen, listen,” he said awkwardly, “about that day outside the gym –”  
   
“Don’t worry about it,” Jensen said firmly. “I just misread the situation.”  
   
Jared nodded, and felt himself flushing. “I’m not, I mean, I don’t care who people date,” he said.  
   
Jensen shot him a quick, amused look. “I hope you care a little who I date,” he said, and Jared’s stomach did its best to flutter under all that pizza.  
   
“You know what I mean,” he mumbled, and turned even redder.  
   
“I do,” Jensen said softly. “I just,” he cleared his throat. “Everything we do is out there in front of everyone. I like the band, and the touring, and the fans, and I’m not ashamed of who I am, but there are some things that belong to me, not to the world.”  
   
“So, you’re not . . . out?” Jared asked, not wanting to offend and not sure what words to use.  
   
Jensen shrugged. “People who know me know,” he said. “The guys, my family, close friends. I just don’t think my love life is _Bop_ magazine’s business, whether I was dating a girl or a guy.”  
   
Jared nodded. He and Sandy had been all over magazines, all the time, and the Channel had encouraged it. Mostly Jared didn’t mind – Channel viewers had watched him grow up, and he was used to it – but sometimes he wished that anyone couldn’t find out anything about him on the Internet.  
   
“So, I guess you haven’t done this before,” Jensen said, and Jared realized he’d just been sitting there thinking.  
   
“I haven’t done much of anything before,” he admitted. “Sandy and I started dating when I was 14 and just broke up last fall. She was awesome but we never had to, you know, actually date. It was always so easy. Even our breakup was easy. And since then I just haven’t, I don’t know, thought about dating anybody else.”  
   
He looked up suddenly. “How’d you, I mean, Michael said he wouldn’t—”  
   
“Michael is such a liar,” Jensen said. “He told me that you had not acted like an asshat because you had a giant crush on me and you’d never liked a boy before and it turned you all into awkward-boy, but if you should call anytime soon I should take the call and if you didn’t call I should track you down and make you have dinner with me. So,” he gestured to the pizza box, “here I am.”  
   
Jared shook his head. “I should have known not to trust him,” he said, but he was smiling.  
   
“I’m kind of glad you did,” Jensen said, and his smile did not make Jared all warm and tingly.  
   
“Me too,” he admitted, and smiled back.  
   
After they’d dispatched the pizza they found Live Free or Die Hard on cable and situated themselves on the tiny couch, feet up on the bed. At first Jared was hyper-aware of Jensen beside him, of his warm thigh pressed into Jared’s, of his arm thrown over the back of the couch, of his chest close enough for Jared to feel him breathing, but as he settled into the movie, Jared became less aware of those things and more aware of Jensen’s full, smiling lips, of his bright green eyes focused on Jared, of his long, strong fingers resting on the far arm of the couch.  
   
The only cure for it, of course, was a non-stop running commentary on the awesomeness of John McClane, which Jared was more than happy to provide. He even found himself throwing in hand gestures, despite his efforts to rein himself in when he found himself literally flapping his hands at one point. Jensen provided little commentary himself, but whenever Jared looked over, he was watching Jared more than the movie, with a small smile on his face.  
   
Just before the biggest explosion was set to go off, while Jared had pulled his legs up beneath him on the couch and was practically ready to catapult himself skyward with excitement, his mouth running full blast, hands in frenzied accompaniment, he turned to Jensen to make sure he was fully engaged in this thrilling cinematic moment and suddenly Jensen’s hand was cupping Jared’s head and pulling him even closer on the tiny couch, their heads drawing together and then he was kissing Jared, a real, full-on kiss, and his lips were soft and moist and firm and gentle, and his fingers on the back of Jared’s head stroked his hair, and Jared reached an arm around to find Jensen’s shoulder, and his mouth opened naturally to Jensen’s and really, had there ever been a better way invented to shut Jared up?  
   
“Wow,” Jared whispered when Jensen pulled his head back. Their faces were still almost touching, and Jensen’s green-green eyes were looking intently into his. Jared felt a big, stupid grin stretch across his face.  
   
“Do you always talk this much during movies?” Jensen asked, their chests so close that Jared could feel it as a rumble in his own body.  
   
“Sometimes. Yeah. Pretty much. All the time,” Jared confessed. “Maybe I was kind of nervous too.”  
   
“Are you nervous now?” Jensen asked softly.  
   
“Not what I would call it,” Jared answered, and leaned in to place his own kiss on Jensen’s lips, happy and curious and tingling right down to his toes.  
   
It was a good thing Jared had already seen the movie, because he didn’t look at the screen again for the rest of the night.

   
* * * 

“So, what’s it like?” Alexis asked after rehearsal later that week.

“What’s what like?” Jared said.  
   
She stood on her tiptoes to whisper. “Kissing a boy.”  
   
Jared knew his stupid ears were red but he pushed her away good-naturedly. “Like you don’t know,” he said.  
   
“I would never,” Alexis said primly and Jared couldn’t help the stupid, happy grin that stayed on his face the rest of the night.


	3. 3X Everything

“You’re taller,” his mother declared once she’d broken their hug. “I swear, you’re taller.”

“How could I be taller already?” Jared protested, but he had to admit, his mother seemed smaller.  
   
She put a hand on either side of his face and shook it a little. “You keep growing up no matter what I do!” she exclaimed, but she was beaming.  
   
“Mrs. P!” someone hollered behind them and a minute later Chad was picking her up in a giant hug. “You see, look what good care I’ve taken of our boy,” he declared once he’d set her down.  
   
“Well, he’s in one piece, I’ll grant you that,” she answered in a scolding tone, but she reached out and smoothed Chad’s hair with a motherly hand.  
   
“It’s not the same without you though, Mrs. P,” Chad said with fake woe. “Who knew touring without parental supervision would be so dull?”  
   
“Mm-hmm,” she said skeptically and Jared rolled his eyes.  
   
“Mom, we’ve got show time,” he said as a bell dinged backstage. “See you after, all right?”  
   
She waved them off. “Go on, boys,” she said. “There’s a throng of 10-year-olds out there screaming for you.”  
   
Jared was so ready for the July break that he’d brought his bags to the dressing room to go right into his mother’s car after the show. Her parents lived in San Antonio, and she and Jared’s sister, Megan, had flown out from LA so the three of them could spend the break there. Jared couldn’t wait to do absolutely nothing for a couple of weeks.  
   
Alexis was headed back to LA for an audition – she hadn’t signed on for another year with Club yet, and was still feeling out some other options. Chad, Bret and Tyler were going to Mexico do to things Jared didn’t want to think about. Tom was going to see his girlfriend, and Michael, Steve and Chris all were going back to LA for some business.  
   
Jensen was spending the time with his family in Dallas, a wretched five hours from San Antonio. When Jared had become glum about the separation the night before, Jensen had cheered him up in a most persuasive way and reminded him that it was only two weeks.  
   
Still, everything was so new and Jared was worried they would come back from break and find that it had fizzled out, that it had been just a crush on both their parts. The thought made Jared anxious in the worst girly way.  
   
Then another part of him wanted the time apart, to think about what he was doing. Alexis knew, of course, but he hadn’t brought himself to tell Chad, and if he was honest with himself, it was because he was afraid. Jared assumed that Jensen’s bandmates knew, but none of them had said anything. Jared didn’t think they were a secret, exactly, but they weren’t exactly a known item.  
   
He also found that he really, really wanted his mom to meet Jensen but he had no idea how he would introduce him. His friend? His boyfriend? The guy he was currently making out with? Mega boy band superstar? Five Times Everything’s “Cute One”?  
   
Megan had brought a summer Texas friend to the concert with her, and the two of them wanted to stay for 5X Everything and Hannah Montana, so Jared found himself alone in the Green Room after the show, the rest of the Clubbers packed back into the bus and shipped off to the hotel. He could hear the pounding music and screaming crowd as 5X Everything took the stage, but he was so tired from the show and from running around in circles in his head that he put his head back on the couch and closed his eyes. The next thing he knew, gentle fingers were running through his hair. He squinted open his eyes and looked up at Jensen.  
   
“Hey,” he said drowsily, then realized with a jerk that he had fallen asleep and sat up abruptly.  
   
“Wooo,” Jensen said with a laugh, and sat down beside him. “Forget where you were?”  
   
“Didn’t mean to fall asleep,” Jared confessed, rubbing at his eyes. “Show over?”

“Miley’s on,” Jensen said. “Is your mom here?”  
   
Jared nodded. “Megan and her friend wanted to stay for the whole show,” he said. “She’s out there among the savages.”  
   
Jensen shuddered. “Brave woman,” he said solemnly, and Jared was hit with a sudden rush of happiness just to be there with him that made him lean in and kiss Jensen.  
   
“Hey,” Jensen said when they pulled apart.  
   
“Hey,” Jared whispered back.  
   
“It’s not so long, you know,” Jensen said, cupping a warm hand around the side of Jared’s neck.  
   
“I know,” Jared said. The confidence he tried to infuse in his voice was ruined with a yawn.  
   
“Dude, you so need break,” Jensen said with amusement.  
   
“I’m wiped,” Jared admitted. “I’m so letting Gigi spoil me rotten.”  
   
“I love,” Jensen said, “that you call your grandmother Gigi and you’re not even embarrassed about it.”  
   
“Embarrassed? You’re in a boy band,” Jared teased and Jensen grinned at him.  
   
They both turned when the door opened, and Jensen quickly dropped his hand from Jared’s neck.  
   
“Mom!” Jared said in surprise.  
   
“There you are!” she said. “I had to take a break. One of the tour people is going to bring the girls back when Hannah Montana is finished.”  
   
Jared stood up and Jensen followed suit. “Mom, this is Jensen Ackles, from Five Times Everything,” he said, and that was easier than he’d thought. “Jensen, my mom, Sherri Padalecki.”  
   
“Ma’am,” Jensen said politely, and extended his hand.  
   
“Ma’am!” she said in astonishment, taking Jensen’s hand. “Five Times Everything has much better manners than the Mickey Mouse Club.”  
   
Jensen laughed and gave her a dazzling smile that made Jared a little heady.  
   
“I’m a Texas boy too,” he said, and let the drawl in a little. “My family’s in Dallas, and you know my mama taught me right.”  
   
Jared’s mother looked positively star-struck. “Well, I can see that,” she said. “It’s so nice to meet you, Jensen. I know that Jared loved filming with Tom last year.”  
   
“Tom’s a good guy,” Jensen said. “Never lets you down. Anyway, I just stopped by to see who was hanging around and saw that Jared has bags that need lugged out to car.”  
   
“Oh, you carry bags, too,” Jared’s mom said. “A man after my own heart.”  
   
“Settle down, Mom,” Jared said with amusement. “If you give us the keys we can take these out to the car now.”  
   
“All right, all right,” she said with good nature. “He always wants to ruin my fun,” she said to Jensen as she dug out her keys and gave them to Jared.  
   
“Oh, I believe it,” Jensen said seriously, picking up one of Jared’s bags. “It was really nice to meet you, ma’am.”  
   
“Thank you, Jensen,” she said warmly.  
   
“I’ll be right back, Mom,” Jared said, snagging his other bag and opening the door.  
   
“I’ll be waiting,” she said with a sigh of long-suffering. Jared shook his head and grinned, looking shyly at Jensen out of the corner of his eye. Jensen managed to hold back a huge smile until they got outside to the car where they were relatively alone.  
   
“Yeah, my mom’s kind of . . .” Jared started and trailed off.  
   
“Awesome?” Jensen said.  
   
“She is,” Jared said, and smiled hugely back, admitting to himself how important it had been for him that Jensen like his mother. He felt giddy with happiness for a minute, until they loaded up the bags and he realized that Jensen was about to leave.  
   
“Two weeks,” he said, and caught Jensen’s hands in his.  
   
“Two weeks,” Jensen said firmly, and pulled him into a shadowed doorway to say good-bye properly.  
   
* * * 

Jared got two days before his mother pounced on him. He guessed she must have thought he deserved at least that much rest.

“So,” she said casually as she made sandwiches in the kitchen, “Jensen seems like a nice guy.”  
   
“He is,” Jared said, eyeballing her warily.  
   
“Have you two been hanging out a lot?” she asked innocently.  
   
“Some,” he answered.  
   
“He certainly is good-looking,” she said.  
   
“That’s what YM says,” Jared answered, not willing to give.  
   
“Was that him on the phone this morning?”  
   
“Mmm,” Jared said, and took a long drink of lemonade. His mother set a sandwich in front of him and then sat down at the table with her own lunch.  
   
“You know, Jared,” she said, “all I’ve ever wanted for you kids is for you to be happy.”  
   
“I know that, Mom,” Jared said.  
   
“All right,” she said, and started in on her food.  
   
“He is quite a bit older than you, isn’t he?” she asked after a few minutes.  
   
“Mo-om,” Jared said, and put his sandwich down.  
   
“I just worry, honey,” she said, and put a hand on his knee. Jared sighed, because he knew that was the truth. Sandy had been like a member of their family, and it had hurt his mom when they’d broken up. She’d also been like a hawk about other girls ever since then. Apparently, that attitude extended to boys.  
   
“He’s 22,” Jared said, giving her that much.  
   
“Which is a big difference,” she said. Jared looked pointedly at her. “I know,” she said. “I can’t help it.”  
   
“It’s just, this thing with Jensen is . . .” Jared fumbled around for the right words, “new. And a surprise to me. So, I don’t know, I don’t know what to tell you. But he’s totally cool. Not, uh, pushy at all.”  
   
That seemed to satisfy her. “Good,” she said briskly. “Well. I like him very much.”  
   
“He’s really cool,” Jared agreed.  
   
“And I hope he’s not totally standoffish,” she added, and Jared had to put his sandwich back down.  
   
“Mo-om!” he cried in distress.  
   
“Well, you are young men in your prime,” she said.  
   
Jared buried his face in his hands. “I swear you say these things just to embarrass me,” he muttered.  
   
“Of course I do, honey,” she answered. “It’s one of the best parts of being a parent.”  
   
* * * 

“Okay, Whitney, you first,” Payton said with a giggle. Whitney turned her computer monitor so the other girls could see.

“You are Tommy!” it declared. “A natural leader and everyone’s big brother, you want to make sure that your friends and family are taken care of. You take your work seriously, but you still like to have some fun.”

“That is so you,” Braylin said. 

“Payton, your turn,” Whitney answered. 

“All right,” Payton said, blushing, “but I don’t think mine is quite right.”

“You are Chris!” Payton’s screen read. “You love being the bad boy and sometimes you like your fun a little too much. You are a fiercely loyal friend and don’t hesitate to speak your mind.”

“Well, it’s kind of true,” Whitney said. “I think you’re more of a Michael, though.”

“Who did you get, Braylin?” Payton asked. Braylin started giggling and couldn’t stop as she showed them.

“You are Jensen!” her screen read. “Some people think you can be standoffish, but you’re just private and little shy. You care deeply about other people and are close to your family and friends.”

“Awww!” Whitney and Payton exclaimed. 

They had just enough time before class ended to switch answers around and learn that Michael was a joker with super-smarts who knew when it was time to work and when it was time to play, and that Steve was sensitive and caring, and devoted to causes that help the planet and the sick.

* * * 

Somewhere, _Funkytown_ was playing. Jared fumbled around the night stand, then the floor, before he finally found his phone and flipped it open.  
   
“Hello,” he mumbled.  
   
“Good morning,” Jensen said.  
   
“Ooooh,” Jared said, squinting at the clock. “What time is it?”  
   
“Eleven a.m.,” Jensen said with amusement. “Why are you still in bed? Someone keeping you out all night? I thought Chad went to Mexico with his entourage.”  
   
Jared stretched and kicked off the covers. “Megan and I stayed up until like three playing Street Fighter Four,” he said. “I completely annihilated her.”  
   
Jensen laughed. “Now there’s something I’ve always wanted in a guy – the ability to annihilate a 14-year-old girl,” he said.  
   
“Shut up,” Jared said good-naturedly. “What’s going on?”  
   
“I wondered if you wanted to change your travel plans up to Minneapolis,” Jensen said.  
   
“Sure,” Jared said, yawning. “You want me to fly to Dallas so we can get a flight together?”  
   
“Actually, I was thinking you could fly to Dallas and we could road trip it up there,” Jensen said. “My folks have an extra vehicle we could use.”  
   
Jared sat up. “Really?” he asked. “That’s gotta be like, a lot of miles.”  
   
“Yeah, 950,” Jensen said. “It’ll be 14, 15 hours, but I thought we could do it over three days, two nights. Take our time.”  
   
Three days and two nights all alone with Jensen. Jared thought he could do that.  
   
“What, I mean, what will we do with your parents’ car when we get there?” he asked.  
   
“Samanatha will take care of it,” Jensen said carelessly. “We like to road trip on our own sometimes – she figures it out somehow. You in?”  
   
Jared bounded to his feet. “I’m so in!” he said. “I’ll call Kripke and get my flight changed. I guess I should make it, what, Wednesday?”  
   
“If you can make it morning,” Jensen said. “Otherwise Tuesday night.”  
   
“Awesome!” Jared said, and then was suddenly shy about his uninhibited enthusiasm. “I mean, that sounds fun.”  
   
Jensen was laughing again and he so had Jared’s number. “It will be,” he said. “Text me your flight info and I’ll be there to pick you up.”  
   
“’Kay,” Jared said. “I’ll see you then.”  
   
“See you then, Jay,” Jensen said, and Jared’s stomach flopped around at the nickname.  
   
Really, he didn’t mind Jensen having his number very much at all.  
   
* * * 

Jared’s flight got to Dallas early Wednesday morning, so Jensen met him at the airport with his parents’ hybrid SUV packed and ready to go. Jared resisted the urge to bound into Jensen’s arms and slobber all over his face like a giant dog and managed to go with a big hug instead.  
   
Jensen looked even better than he had before break, which Jared thought was seriously impossible, but there Jensen was, a little tanner and much more relaxed. They were already on the highway when Jared realized he was sitting in the passenger seat silent, just staring at Jensen. He looked down, embarrassed.  
   
“This is a great idea,” he said.  
   
“Mmm,” Jensen said, watching the busy road. “I figured if we wanted time to ourselves, we needed to make it.”  
   
“Yeah,” Jared agreed, then blurted out of nowhere, “My mom really liked you.”  
   
Jensen glanced over at him. “Good. She’s great,” he said. He watched the road for a minute, then asked, “So, I guess you told her?”  
   
Jared huffed, indignant. “She knew. She knows everything,” he admitted.  
   
“Well, you’re not the most opaque of guys,” Jensen said.  
   
Jared fiddled with the hem of his shirt. “I know,” he said glumly. “But she was cool about it.” He was quiet for a while, watching the highway speed by. “Your family is good?” he asked hesitantly.  
   
“Yeah,” Jensen said. “I had a nice time.” He cocked his head over at Jared. “I’ll have to bring you by sometime.”  
   
Jared squirmed and blushed. He hadn’t been fishing for an invite, really, he hadn’t. He cleared his throat. “That’d be nice,” he said.  
   
Jensen smiled at him and it was more blinding than the morning sun.  
   
They made good time into Oklahoma once they were out of Dallas traffic and stopped at a McDonald’s for lunch where a college girl nabbed them for a photo. They made it into Missouri before calling it a day, finding a decent meal and hotel.  
   
It wasn’t until they hauled their bags up into the hotel room and Jared was faced with the single king-sized bed within that he realized that he and Jensen were actually going to spend the night together, sleeping in the same bed, if nothing else. His mom’s voice was suddenly yapping all over in his head and he had to hold still and firmly tell her to be quiet.  
   
“You okay?” Jensen asked, and Jared made himself nod and smile.  
   
“Yeah, sure,” he said, and tossed his bag onto the dresser.  
   
Jensen didn’t move, watching him. He cleared his throat. “You want to get a room with two beds? Or another room?”  
   
“No,” Jared said firmly, because that wasn’t what he wanted in the least. He dug around in his bag because he was sure he had a toothbrush in there somewhere but it always fell to the bottom … Jensen’s hand closed around Jared’s wrist, ending his frantic toothbrush search.  
   
“Jared,” Jensen said softly. “We don’t have to … I didn’t get one room expecting us to have sex tonight. We can just sleep, or we can just sleep and cuddle, or we can just sleep and cuddle and make out. You can call the shots here.”  
   
Jared knew he was bright red. “You know, I’ve had sex before,” he said defensively, and dared a sideways glance at Jensen.  
   
“With a guy?” Jensen asked seriously, no hint of patronizing or teasing in his voice.  
   
“Uh, yeah. Not so much,” Jared said, and squirmed. He stole another look at Jensen and cleared his throat. “So we can sleep and cuddle and make out?” he asked hopefully, and Jensen smiled.  
   
“Absolutely,” he said, and proved it by pulling Jared to him and kissing him soundly.  
   
In the end, Jared just took his bag into the bathroom and upended it to find his toothbrush. He shimmied out of his jeans and washed his face and then reached in his bag for his awesomely soft Batman flannel sleep bottoms and then suddenly realized that he was about to get into bed with his mega-hot kinda-boyfriend wearing his Batman pajamas and ohmygod what was the protocol here?  
   
He looked down at himself in boxers and t-shirt and wondered if he should just go back out like this. Or maybe he should pull sweatshorts out of his bag and go with them. Or maybe he had that actual pajama set in his bag and he should go with that.  
   
Jared spread the contents of his bag on the floor again and considered his options. He grabbed his phone off the sink and quickly sent Alexis a text prefaced with “911”: “WHAT WEAR 2 BED ON RD TRIP W/JEN?”  
   
Alexis answered almost immediately: “NOTHING”.  
   
Jared hated his friends.  
   
“PJ BTMS + T? BOXERS + T? PJS? SHORTS + T? NO REFERENCE!”  
   
“LINGERIE”.  
   
He could practically hear her laughing from wherever she was.  
   
“SERIOUS HV BTMAN BTMS W/ME!”  
   
“AHAHAHAHA VRY SXY!!!!!!!!!”  
   
Jared was angrily typing in a reply that brought Alexis’ sexual mores into question when Jensen knocked on the door.  
   
“Jay?” he asked. “You all right?”  
   
Jared’s fingers froze over the phone. “Uh, yeah, just washing up,” he said. “Be right out.”  
   
There was a moment of silence on both sides of the door and then Jensen said, “I can hear you texting, you know.”  
   
“Uh,” Jared frantically texted, “HATE YOU” and snapped his phone shut. “Can you just, like, pretend you couldn’t hear me?”  
   
Jensen was silent and Jared could just picture him packing his bags as fast as he could so he pulled on the stupid Batman bottoms and barreled out the door, smack into a frowning Jensen. He grabbed him by the upper arms.  
   
“I got it sorted,” he assured him. “Small fashion crisis but I went with a classic.”  
   
Jensen actually giggled. “Those are way, way sexy,” he said.  
   
Jared swaggered into the room. “I know,” he said. “I’m Batman.”  
   
Batman ended up mostly sleeping – really sleeping – with Jensen that night, because once they were horizontal, they found that they were both exhausted. Jared woke up the next morning pleasantly tangled in a warm, sleepy Jensen. He rolled over to face Jensen and leaned in to kiss his neck.  
   
“Mmmm,” Jensen buzzed happily, eyes still shut.  
   
“Good morning,” Jared said, and pressed against him tight to show him what a good morning it really was.  
   
It turned out he didn’t need those Batman bottoms so much after all, something he confirmed again the next night in Iowa.  
   
By the time they reached Minneapolis, Jared had confirmed something else, even if only to himself: he was totally, head over heels, in love with boy band superstar Jensen Ackles.

* * * 

The buses hadn’t arrived at the Minneapolis hotel yet, so as soon as Jared checked in and dumped his bags, he went over to Jensen’s room, because apparently three days solid together wasn’t enough for him.

“Hey,” he said, reaching for Jensen as soon as the door opened, but Jensen pulled away and took Jared’s hand instead, drawing him into the room.  
   
“Oh!” Jared said in surprise to the woman on the couch. She stood and extended a hand.  
   
“Speak of the devil,” she said. “Jared, I’m Samantha Ferris, Jensen’s manager.”  
   
“Hi,” Jared said cautiously, and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you.”  
   
Jensen had let go of Jared’s hand to pick up some papers on the table and handed them to Jared. Jared looked down at them, surprised by Jensen’s brusque attitude.  
   
“Jensen and Jared – What’s Up With That?” the printout read in big bold type.  
   
“What’s this?” Jared asked in bewilderment.  
   
“The girl at the McDonald’s,” Jensen said. “It seems she has a blog.”  
   
Jared sat down to quickly read.  
   
 _You’re not going to believe this, but I got off the highway on my way to Mom’s house on Wednesday and decided I actually wanted to sit down and eat and not go through the drive-through, so I picked a random McDonald’s and went in. Who was there eating together but Jensen Ackles of 5X Everything and Jared Padalecki of the Mickey Mouse Club?!?!?! I almost peed my pants.  
   
No one else seemed to recognize them and I didn’t want to be a big goober fangirl and bother them while they were eating, but, seriously, when is that opportunity going to come around again? So I waited until they’d finished and were putting their trays away and went over and just said that I really enjoyed their music and the show. They were both very nice and shook my hand and then this nice old fellow took our picture together.  
   
I hadn’t seen any buses outside so I asked them if they were on their way to the next show and Jared said that they were road-tripping up to Minneapolis from visiting family in Texas on their midsummer break. I said that sounded fun and Jared said they were having a great time. Jensen didn’t say anything and seemed a little nervous, but he has a reputation for being reticent with fans. Then we said good-bye and they left the restaurant. They got into a black SUV together (Jensen drove) and were on their way.  
   
I have little shame, so I will confess that I was watching them while they were eating. Jared was carrying the conversation and seemed to be telling Jensen about some movie he’d seen. He was totally relaxed and animated in that Jared way, complete with arm-waving. The whole time, Jensen is just eating his food and watching Jared like he’s the best thing ever.  
   
I was just so flabbergasted to see them somewhere together. You almost never see Jensen photographed anywhere except with his bandmates or sometimes someone he’s filmed with, and I thought Jared and Chad Michael Murray were inseparable. I’ve never even heard that Jensen and Jared are friends, though they are touring together this summer.  
   
I know the rumors about Jensen being gay keep popping up, although I’ve always wondered if he just keeps really quiet about who he’s dating – he’s very protective of his personal life. And we all know that Jared dated Sandy McCoy for years. But I’m totally serious here – they seemed like a couple to me. Call me crazy if you must, but I know young love when I see it.  
   
My head is still spinning from the whole thing. Obviously, this post is locked to friends and I’d appreciate you’re not sharing this info with others. I probably should keep it to myself, but I just can’t!_  
   
The picture from McDonald’s was at the bottom of the post. Beneath that, it said, “493 Shout-Outs.” Jared set the papers down slowly.  
   
“If that was a private post, where did this come from?” he asked.  
   
“Someone leaked it out there,” Samantha said, and then sighed. “Look, boys, don’t worry overmuch about it. Everybody always thinks everybody is gay and everybody is dating. I just thought you should know about it.”  
   
“Thanks, Sam,” Jensen said quietly from where he was leaning against the dresser.  
   
“Listen,” Samantha said, holding up a hand. Jensen turned his face away from her but Jared fixed his eyes right on her. “Whatever you two want to do together is between the two of you. You’re consenting adults and you’re entitled to your privacy. Just be aware that you are in the public eye, and people are going to pick over every little thing you do like this. So if you’re not ready for something to be public, don’t do it in public, whether that’s people knowing that you’re friends or people seeing you make out.”  
   
“Okay,” Jared said, and Samantha nodded in approval.  
   
“Jensen?” she asked.  
   
“Yeah,” Jensen said. “I know the drill, Samantha.”  
   
“Hey, I’m here to protect you,” she said. “Whether you want your privacy or your choices protected. But if you don’t decide how you’re going to play this thing, it’ll get decided for you pretty quick.”  
   
Jensen sighed and looked up at her. “I know,” he said. “Thank you. Really. I’m just surprised.”  
   
“All right,” Samantha said, and then surprised Jared by giving Jensen a quick hug. “You boys let me know if you need anything.”  
   
“Yep,” Jensen said, and showed her out. Jared picked up the blog and reread it while Jensen shut the door and plopped down at the table across from him. When he put the papers down, Jensen was running a hand over his face, frustration written all over it.  
   
“I’m sorry,” Jensen said, gesturing to the paper.  
   
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Jared said. “We didn’t do anything wrong.”  
   
Jensen grimaced. “I know, I know,” he said. “It’s just . . . that was the first time alone we’ve had together, and look – we weren’t alone at all.”  
   
“Guess not,” Jared said tightly. Jensen stared at him intently.  
   
“I don’t want it to always be like this,” Jensen said, and Jared nodded shortly, not trusting his voice. “I just think, I mean, don’t you want to get to know each other? Find out if we really want to do this thing before putting it on display before the whole world? And I don’t think it’s because we’re both guys, I think I’d feel this way no matter what.”  
   
“I know,” Jared said, and when Jensen looked skeptical, he added, “I understand, I really do.” And he did, really, he knew Jensen didn’t want his whole life and his new romance to be played out on the Internet and in magazines. “It’s just,” Jared shuffled the papers anxiously, “I kind of want to tell the whole world after this week.”  
   
“Jay,” Jensen said tenderly, and before Jared knew it he had his arms around him and was kissing him soundly.  
   
“I could never be ashamed or embarrassed by this,” Jensen whispered, his lips still close to Jared’s. “I just want it to happen on our terms, not some PR schedule.”  
   
“Okay,” Jared said breathlessly, because when Jensen kissed him like that he thought he would agree to just about anything.  
   
* * *

Jared wasn’t even through the door into his room when Chad barreled into him.  
   
“Dude!” Chad said. “WTF?”  
   
“Hey, Chad,” Jared said, going straight inside and flopping into a chair. “How was Mexico?”  
   
Chad stood in front of him, hands held up. “What?” Jared asked, annoyed.  
   
“Airport?” Chad said.  
   
“Um, it’s where planes land and takeoff,” Jared guessed.  
   
“Ride?” Chad said. “Phone?”  
   
Something clicked in Jared’s head. “Oh, man, I’m sorry!” he said. “I totally forgot. My flight plans got changed around and I forgot to tell Kripke when you needed picked up.”  
   
“Where’s your stupid phone, asshat?” Chad demanded. “I called you like 40,000 times.”  
   
Jared found his phone in the middle of the bed with his bag. He had 14 text messages and 23 missed calls from Chad. “Sorry, sorry,” he said, scrolling and deleting.  
   
“Whatever,” Chad said in an affronted voice. “What happened with your flight? This better be good.”  
   
“Uh,” Jared focused on his phone, “actually, I ended up driving up.”  
   
“From Texas?” Chad asked with disbelief. “Why the hell would you do that?’  
   
“I, um,” Jared also had seven text messages and three missed calls from Alexis, “I flew to Dallas and met up with Jensen Ackles and we road-tripped up together.”  
   
Chad was silent, so Jared peeked up at him. He was still standing in the middle of the room with his hands in the air. “With Ackles?” Chad asked in bewilderment. “Why?”  
   
“Cause I’ve kind of been . . . dating him for a few weeks,” Jared said. He tried really hard not to squirm.  
   
Chad just stared at him blankly for a full minute and then said in astonishment, “All right.” He dropped his hands and jabbed a finger at Jared. “I should stomp you for keeping secrets from me, though.”  
   
Jared winced. “I know, man, I’m sorry, it’s all just really new,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “I just wasn’t sure about any of it.”  
   
Chad waved a hand at him. “Aw, don’t listen to me. I, uh,” and Chad actually looked nervous, “hooked up with AnnaLynne?”  
   
“Dude!” Jared yelled. “Is that a question?”  
   
“No?” Chad said.  
   
It was Jared’s turn to hold his hands up in astonishment. “You said,” he sputtered, “you said no more Clubbers. Especially after Sophia.”  
   
“I know,” Chad said, and at least had the decency to look sheepish. “But, Jared, she’s really hot.”  
   
“And Hilarie,” Jared said.  
   
“Yeah,” Chad said.  
   
“And Bethany Joy.”  
   
“Yeah.”  
   
Jared let his hands drop. “All right,” he said in disbelief. “It’s your funeral.”  
   
“But what a party it’s going to be,” Chad said with such a huge grin that Jared had to return it.  
   
Just then _Barbie Girl_ went off in his hand. “OMG WTF WHERE R U?!” his phone demanded.  
   
“ROOM,” he sent back, and two minutes later there was banging on his door. He opened it and immediately had his hands full of squealing Alexis.  
   
“I got it!” she said. “I got the lead!”  
   
Jared whooped and spun her around and Chad tackled them both in a giant hug, knocking them all into the bed.  
   
“It’s this ABC Family drama about an exclusive prep school that starts midseason and we start shooting in September!” Alexis gushed out without taking a breath.  
   
“That’s our girl!” Chad crowed and Jared gave Alexis a sound kiss on the cheek before they untangled themselves.  
   
“So, are you Jo or Tootie?” Chad asked.  
   
“Screw you, Murray,” Alexis said, grinning from ear to ear. “But you know what? Know what?”  
   
“What?” Jared said, laughing.  
   
“They haven’t found their male lead yet and their casting director told my agent that everyone they’ve seen is for crap and asked if any other Clubbers might be interested, and my agent gave her both of your names and she said she’d call your agents so we might end up doing the show together,” Alexis squealed.  
   
Jared and Chad looked at each other. “Wow,” Chad said. “Thanks, Lexi.”  
   
Jared rubbed at his nose. “We’re both under contract,” he said, but Alexis shook her head.  
   
“ABC Family’s an affiliate, they’ll work it out,” she said. “And you both keep saying that you’d love to be on a real show, do some real acting. I mean, I know it’s a teen drama, but it’s not Club.”  
   
“Wow,” Jared said, and couldn’t decide if he was happy or just on the verge of an anxiety attack.  
   
“Just,” Alexis put out her palm, “just read through the pilot and stuff when they send it over. It’s good, you’ll see.”  
   
“Will do,” Chad said. “Although you know you’ve jinxed us. Whenever Padalecki and I try out for the same role, neither of us get it.”  
   
“That is true,” Jared said, then scowled. “Efron.”  
   
“I hate that guy,” Chad said.  
   
Alexis rolled her eyes. “Let it go already,” she said. “Besides, it’s time to celebrate.”  
   
She was right, the script was good, and the casting director was seriously interested in having both Jared and Chad read for it. It was a teen drama, but it was a step up from Club, and it didn’t require near the publicity work that Club demanded. It looked like Jared and Chad would be flying right to LA during August break to audition.

Jensen liked the script, and spent several nights reading lines with Jared. Between getting ready for the audition and wrapping up the tour, summer was fading fast, when all Jared wanted it to do was last. He knew he and Jensen wouldn’t be able to see as much of each other once tour was over, especially if he was shooting on a new show.  
   
For now, he tried to enjoy every minute, and let the future sort itself out.


	4. 4X Everything

It was very, very early in the morning and it was summer vacation and Payton had no idea why her phone was ringing. Loudly. And repeatedly. She groped her hand around the dresser until she found the offending item.

“Hello?” she croaked.

“Payton?” Braylin said, and then burst into tears.

“Braylin?” Payton asked, sitting up. “What’s wrong?”

“Ohmygod, it’s on TV,” Braylin said. “On a news show.”  
   
Payton fumbled around in her bed for her remote and switched on the television. _Agent Oso_ was on.  
   
“What’s on TV?” Payton asked. “Where?”

Braylin sniffled. “They just showed it before the commercial, it’ll be on in a minute. On that morning show with the old guy my mom thinks is cute,” she said.  
   
In the background, Payton heard Braylin’s mother say, “Matt Lauer is not old!” so she switched to _The Today Show_. It was just coming back from commercial. Sara Haines smiled at the camera.  
   
“Today’s big entertainment news: Sources have confirmed the Disney boy band Five Times Everything will be breaking up at the end of their summer tour. EOnline is reporting that the band is having an amiable breakup so that members can move on to other projects. The five-member pop sensation came onto the music scene in early 2005 and had their first No. 1 single, _Dead in the Water_ , by that summer. The group had nine No. 1 hits and released three platinum albums. No news yet on what each of the boys will be doing, but we’ll keep you posted.”  
   
“NOOOOOO!!!!!” Payton shrieked, jumping out of bed.  
   
Feet pounded down the hallway and her father banged open the door.  
   
“What is it?” he gasped. “Are you hurt?”  
   
“Five Times Everything is breaking up!” Payton wailed.  
   
“Well,” her father said. “I’ll call 9-1-1,” and he shut the door.  
   
* * * 

It was very, very early in the morning and he did not have early rehearsal or departure and Jared had no idea why his phone was playing _SexyBack_. Loudly. And repeatedly. 

He was really, really going to kill Chad for changing Jensen’s ringtone and then putting some kind of techno mojo on it so no matter what he did he couldn’t change it. He groped his hand around the floor until he found it.

“Hi,” he croaked.  
   
“Hey,” Jensen said, quickly and softly. “Sorry to wake you up but I wanted to catch you before you turned on the TV.” In the background, Jared could hear numerous voices.  
   
“Jensen, it’s really early,” Jared mumbled. “Is everything all right?”  
   
“Yeah, yeah, everything’s fine,” Jensen said. “Look, I’ve just got a minute and then I’ve gotta go but I wanted you to hear this from me.”  
   
“What?” Jared said, sitting up and starting to get the idea that something important was happening. Jensen didn’t speak for a minute, so Jared prompted, “Jensen? You sure everything’s okay?”  
   
“Yeah,” Jensen said. “Listen, I’m just gonna say it. We’re breaking up.”  
   
“Huh?” Jared said, and Jensen cut in quickly, “Not you and I, we’re not breaking up. I mean the band. Five Times Everything is splitting up at the end of the summer.”  
   
“Oh,” Jared said blankly. “Are you okay?”  
   
Jensen huffed on the other end of the phone. “Yeah,” he said. “It’s all cool. We all have other things we want to do and Tom wants to get married something fierce and is tired of fighting with Disney about Jamie and – it’s just time.”  
   
“Okay,” Jared said. “And you had to tell me before dawn because?”  
   
“It’s been leaked,” Jensen said, and Jared could hear the stress in his voice. “I was going to tell you soon, but we’ve been trying to keep it under industrial-strength wraps until the tour was over, but best laid plans and all that. Anyway, it’s going to be everywhere today so we’re going to go with it and we’ve got Samantha and publicists and the whole bit here right now and it’s about to be a madhouse, so I just wanted to tell you myself. I just, I didn’t want you to turn on the television and see it or hear it from another Clubber or see it online.”  
   
“Yeah,” Jared said. “That would have been freaky. Thanks.” He ran a hand through his hair. “You sure you’re all right?”  
   
“No,” Jensen said, and laughed shortly. “This is going to be a media circus. In fact, they’re moving us to another hotel in a couple of minutes here, so I gotta go. I don’t know when I’ll be able to see you next, but . . . call me, okay? Leave me a message or text me if I don’t pick up.”  
   
“Okay,” Jared said. “Don’t get all stressed out about the media, all right?”  
   
Jensen let out a long breath. “Yeah. Just gotta get through the end of the tour, right?” he asked.  
   
“Right,” Jared said firmly. “You’ll do great.”  
   
“Thanks,” Jensen said, and then paused like he was going to say something else, but then Jared heard Chris drawling, “Security’s here to smuggle us out.”  
   
“Go,” Jared said. “I’ll talk to you soon.”  
   
“Soon,” Jensen said, and hung up.  
   
It wasn’t until he was snapping his phone shut that Jared realized he hadn’t asked Jensen what he was going to do once 5X Everything was over.  
   
* * *

Jared thought he knew about media circuses, but what descended upon the tour after the breakup news was leaked went far beyond his experience. It was more like a media hurricane. In addition to that, hundreds of fans showed up everywhere they went, and the concerts were overrun by thousands of ticket-less 5X Everything fans, seeking one last performance before the curtain went down.  
   
Miley usually stayed at a separate hotel, and now the boys were staying yet someplace else, and none of the buses traveled together anymore. Despite his adult status, Jared found his freedoms revoked – Clubbers traveled only to approved destinations and only with security. All sense of fun was gone from the tour – everyone was anxious and tense, and verbal fights broke out almost daily.  
   
Jared kept his head down and missed Jensen fiercely. He only saw him twice after that early morning phone call, both times briefly in the Green Room, a throng of people around them. Their phone calls were likewise public – there was a constant murmur of voices behind Jensen, who sounded frayed and distracted.  
   
In interviews, the guys were all giving vague answers about time off and exploring possibilities about their future plans, but Jensen did tell Jared on the phone that he had more concrete ideas about what he was going to do, though he was starting off with some time off. Jared thought Jensen more than deserved it.  
   
Being on lockdown and apart from Jensen did give Jared plenty of time to prepare for his audition, and before he knew it August break had arrived and he was back in LA. He expected to spend some time, finally, with Jensen, but except for an early phone call the day of his audition to wish him luck, his phone was silent, and Jared found himself kicking around home rather lonely. Chad also seemed to be MIA most of the time, and sounded harried when Jared talked to him.  
   
He was, however, nearly through _Fear 2_ , and a master to be feared by all things virtual. He was wrecking havoc upon the Aramacham Technology Corporation, determined to carry out Alma’s revenge before he had to return to tour, when Chad came wandering into the living room.  
   
“We have a doorbell,” Jared said, annoyed.  
   
Chad flopped onto the couch and stared blankly at the television. “Your mom let me in,” he said, and indeed, Jared’s mother appeared a minute later with a soda and freaking cookies for Chad.  
   
“Don’t feed him, Mom, or he’ll keep coming back,” Jared said sourly, and she redeemed herself by setting another soda and a plate of cookies beside Jared.  
   
“Where have you been?” Jared demanded.  
   
“What crawled up your butt and died?” Chad countered.  
   
Jared paused the game to better consume his food at the fastest rate possible. “I haven’t even seen you except at our audition, I’ve only talked to Jensen once, and Alexis is super-glued to her boyfriend,” he said. “Break sucks. Tour sucks.”  
   
“Cookies good,” Chad said, and Jared munched in agreement.  
   
“Oh, audition,” Chad said once his plate was empty. “I didn’t get it.”  
   
Jared winced. “Sorry,” he said, then added, “They want me to come back and read again.”  
   
“Good luck,” Chad said. “One of us should get to hang up our Mickey ears.” He gulped down the last of his soda, belched, and then stretched out on the couch.  
   
“Make yourself comfortable,” Jared said wryly. Chad, eyes already shut, shot him the finger without looking, and was asleep three minutes later.  
   
Jared turned the volume way down and went back to his game, so engrossed he barely registered the doorbell ringing. He jumped when a hand touched his shoulder.  
   
“Jensen!” _Fear 2_ , the audition, the Club lockdown, the media hurricane, were all abandoned and before he knew it Jared was wrapping Jensen in a giant hug that he didn’t think he could ever break.  
   
“Hey,” Jensen said, and burrowed into Jared’s chest. He gave a such a long, sad sigh that Jared decided he had to break the hug after all, if only to look at Jensen’s face.  
   
“You look like crap,” he said, and Jensen smiled wearily.  
   
“Not much of a break,” he admitted. “Sorry to just barge in, but you said come by anytime and I was close so I had Samantha drop me.”  
   
“Don’t be sorry,” Jared said. “I’ve missed you,” and he kissed Jensen lightly on the lips.  
   
Jensen reached up to run his fingers through Jared’s hair. “I’ve missed you tons,” he said. “It’s been –” and he let go of Jared to twirl one finger in the air.  
   
“No kidding,” Jared said, but Jensen was looking around the room and frowning. He pointed at Chad on the couch and Jared laughed. “Ignore him. He’s only friends with me for my mom’s cookies.”  
   
“Why does that sound dirty?” Jensen mused, and Jared had to laugh again.  
   
“Because it involves Chad,” he said.  
   
Jensen sank into the armchair. “Cookies, huh?” he asked, then scrubbed a hand over his face. “I wanted to finally get a chance to talk to you alone about everything that’s going on.”  
   
“Dude, we could drop a bomb and Chad wouldn’t wake up,” Jared said. “I don’t know what he’s been up to but he’s been conspicuously hard to find, which is usually bad news, and it’s clearly taking its toll.”  
   
Jensen smiled. “I’m not sure if I can’t wait to find out or if I don’t want to know,” he said.  
   
“The essence of being Chad’s friend,” Jared said seriously.  
   
“Cookies?” Jensen said again, making Jared laugh then lean down to kiss him again.  
   
“Be right back,” he promised, but by the time he got back to the living room, soda and fresh plate in hand, Jensen’s head was back and his eyes shut, his breathing slow and regular.  
   
Apparently, his home was too relaxing and soothing, Jared decided, but they both looked so comfortable, he couldn’t really be mad. Instead he leaned back against Jensen’s legs, ate Jensen’s cookies and resumed his game. He had just infiltrated company headquarters when a phone started playing _Lawyers, Guns & Money_. He quickly discovered that Jensen had dropped his phone on the coffee table and answered it before it could wake anyone up.  
   
“Um, hello?” the voice at the other end said suspiciously.  
   
“Hey, Michael,” Jared answered. “It’s Jared. Jensen’s over here.”  
   
“Good, I’ll come pick him up,” Michael answered. “Put him on for a minute.”  
   
“He’s sleeping,” Jared protested. “I’ll run him home, or wherever you want him, later.”  
   
“Sorry, buddy,” Michael said. “We’ve got an interview. Give me directions and I’ll swing by, I’m already in the car.”  
   
Jared reluctantly told Michael where to find them, adding, “He seems really tired.”  
   
Michael snorted. “Who isn’t?” he said. “We just gotta get through a few more weeks and this is all over. We’ll be forgotten by Christmas with any luck.” He hesitated, then added, “Jared, listen, I know you want your boyfriend back and all, but he’s really stressed out right now, so just . . . just don’t add any pressure to him, all right?”  
   
 “Pressure about what?” Jared asked, irritated. “Not running himself ragged and worrying himself into an ulcer?”  
   
“All right, all right,” Michael said, unrepentant. “Just wake him up, I’ll be there in 10.”  
   
Jared hung up without saying good-bye, scowling, and before he knew it he was kissing Jensen at the door.  
   
In the living room, Chad was sitting up and rubbing blearily at his eyes. “You guys all right?” Chad asked thickly, then yawned.  
   
“Yes. No,” Jared said crossly. “It’s almost over, right?”  
   
“Not soon enough,” Chad groaned, then demanded _Resident Evil IV_ as the cure to all their woes.  
   
* * * 

The summer tour finished off Labor Day weekend, first with a pre-weekend concert in Jacksonville, and then the big finale in Orlando, the only dates left once break was over. The buses were parked for the summer and Disney shoehorned the Clubbers into one of its jets for the final leg of the tour.

Chad had texted him that morning that he was flying out separate, to Jared’s annoyance, and Alexis promptly strapped herself in and went to sleep. Jared plugged himself into his iPod and quickly joined her.  
   
He was still rubbing sleep out of his eyes while he fumbled with a keycard and his hotel door, so he was taken completely off-guard when AnnaLynne and Shenae stomped up to him, crossing their arms over their chests and assuming identical poses of disgust.  
   
“Where. Is. He?” AnnaLynne demanded.  
   
“Huh?” Jared said intelligently.  
   
“Your little friend,” Shenae spat out. “Your back-stabbing –”  
   
“Lying,” AnnaLynne interjected.  
   
“Cheating.”  
   
“Two-timing.”  
   
“Two-faced.”  
   
“Pig.”  
   
“Of a best friend,” Shenae concluded.  
   
“Chad flew out early,” Jared said flatly. “Don’t worry, if I come across him, I will sacrifice him to you promptly.”  
   
“Good,” AnnaLynne said.  
   
“You’d better,” Shenae added, and they turned on their heels in unison and stormed off.  
   
Jared waited until the elevator doors had shut behind them before saying loudly, “Could you let me in now?”  
   
Chad poked his head out. “Are you really going to sacrifice me to them?” he asked.  
   
“Maybe,” Jared said. “Definitely, if you don’t let me into my room.”  
   
Chad had at least enough shame to look embarrassed as he let Jared in. “See, this is what happened,” he started, but Jared held out a palm.  
   
“I think I know what happened,” he said. “You can hide here, just spare me the details. And don’t leer like that when you think about the details. That’s what got you here in the first place.”  
   
“I know.” Chad tossed himself onto Jared’s bed in despair. “I’m a moron.”  
   
“Moron doesn’t even begin to cover it,” Jared retorted.


	5. 5X Everything

Whitney hit repeat on the CD player so that they could hear _Wishful Thinking_ for the 18th time, and all three girls flipped over to their stomachs. In the pool, Whitney’s little brother and the neighbor kid were splashing. Her mom, wearing an enormous shade hat and equally enormous sunglasses, was reading a magazine.

“Didn’t they record some other songs?” Whitney’s mom asked.  
   
“Mom, you do not understand what it’s going to be like once they break up,” Whitney said fiercely.  
   
“Sadly, I think I do,” her mother murmured, and flipped a page.  
   
Whitney rolled her eyes at Payton and Braylin – parents could be just impossible. She turned the music up a notch.  
   
“Don’t you girls like this Jared Padalecki, too?” her mother asked after a while, adding, “Nathan, do not hold Justin’s head under the water, baby.”  
   
“He’s only the most awesome member of the Mickey Mouse Club,” Payton said.  
   
“Next to Chad Michael Murray,” Braylin added.  
   
Whitney’s mother got off her chair and dropped the magazine on Whitney’s back. “Well, now they’re the most awesome former members of the Mickey Mouse Club,” she said, and before Whitney could roll over, Payton and Braylin had snatched the magazine up.  
   
“Chilton Academy Steals MMC Stars,” the blurb headline read.  
   
“What?! What?!” Braylin shrieked.  
   
“Why is this happening?!” Payton wailed.  
   
“Give me that!” Whitney ordered, and grabbed the magazine to read aloud.  
   
“ABC Family has announced the midseason replacement Chilton Academy, a teen drama about an exclusive boarding school and its wealthy socialite students. The one-hour drama will star Alexis Bledel of the Mickey Mouse Club as poor little rich girl Rory Gilmore. Joining her will be fellow Club members Jared Padalecki as good boy Dean Forrester and Chad Michael Murray as bad boy Tristin Dugray. Filming starts in late September.”  
   
Whitney set the magazine down and laid back on her chair, arm over her eyes. “Mother, I need a cold compress,” she announced.  
   
“How about a margarita and a Valium?” her mother suggested.  
   
“Mother!” Whitney squawked. Clearly, her mother did not understand the magnitude of the crisis upon them.  
   
* * *  
   
*

* * * 

Rehearsal and the complete talent meltdown over Chad’s inability to keep it in his pants took up the next two days and show day was there with Jared never seeing or hearing from Jensen. He couldn’t wait for this stupid tour to be over. Two more shows and then maybe his life could return to normal, or something better than normal, with Jensen in it.

The 10-minute bell had just rung and in the Green Room, Clubbers were checking themselves in the mirror and dumping phones and gaming consoles into Kripke’s designated box. Jared had just fished his phone out of his pocket when it started playing “Money, That’s What I Want.” He flipped it open.

“Hey, Sera,” he said. “Ten-minute bell just rang, can I call you after the show?”

“Depends,” his manager said. “Do you want the news now or after the show?”

“News about what?” Jared asked, confused.

“Your audition,” Sera said in her Jared’s-an-idiot voice. “The one you had a callback for. For the new ABC Family show that will be staring young Jared Padalecki.”

“Um,” Jared said, and his free arm shot out from his body and started pinwheeling in the air. “Um,” he repeated, aware that he had a big, dopey smile on his face.

“Hey, look at Padalecki,” Tyler yelled from across the room. “Looks like somebody is going to be teen drama star!”

Sera was laughing on the other end of the phone. “Go do your show,” she said. “I’ll call you tomorrow with details and we’ll sit down as soon as you’re done with tour. Way to go, kiddo!”

“Thanks,” Jared said breathlessly, grinning ear-to-ear. “Thanks, Sera.” Alexis was planted in front of him, an expectant look on her face, and the Green Room was quiet as he shut the phone.

“I got it,” he said to Alexis, who shrieked and threw herself in his arms. The room erupted in noise and for a brief minute Jared was enveloped in a dozen yelling teenagers jumping up and down.

He had just set Alexis down when the Green Room door banged open and Chad charged in, arms aloft over his head, his phone clutched in a hand. He pointed at Jared with his free hand.

“Did you get it?” he demanded, and Jared nodded, still stunned. “So did I!” Chad hollered. 

Over the hubbub, Chad finally made everyone understand that the show runners had liked him so much that they’d created an additional “bad boy” character just for him. Chad’s congratulations were peppered with some muttered, “Thank goodness,” and maybe some “Good riddance,” but Chad was typically oblivious. 

Jared was trying to squeeze out of the room to call Jensen when Kripke barged in and grabbed the phone right out of Jared’s hand. 

“Let’s go, people!” he yelled over the din. “We still have a show to do, even those of us who are destined to be quasi-television stars on a cable channel!” 

Jared grinned at him and Kripke almost smiled back. “Get out there, kid,” he said, and clapped Jared on the back. 

The show went by in a blur, and as soon as he cleared the stage, Jared sprinted backstage toward the 5X Everything Green Room, trying to make it there before they went on, feeling he couldn’t wait another minute to tell Jensen the news. 

It was a mess backstage, though, with the extra security and some contest winners and everyone stopping to congratulate him, so by the time he made the Green Room it was empty and he could hear the opening rhythm of 5X Everything’s first song. He fumbled in his pocket for his phone so that he could leave Jensen a voicemail, then realized that Kripke still had it. 

Jared stood still for a moment, hand clutched around the nonexistent phone, trying to figure out what to do if he couldn’t use voicemail, text message or e-mail, and then remembered the existence of paper and pens. He was awesomely resourceful, yes he was, and he quickly found a pen on the table, then rummaged around for a piece of paper.

He snagged a tri-folded sheet from a chair and had started to flip it over and smooth it out to write on when he noticed the letterhead. It was from the University of Texas-Austin. Jared hesitated a moment and then unfolded it to read.

_Dear Mr. Ackles:_

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted as a student at the University of Texas-Austin, matriculating in the fall of 2009. Your course and housing registration will arrive shortly. 

Congratulations, and go Longhorns!

Jared sat down at the table to read it again. It was dated May 3, 2009, before tour had started, before he’d even met Jensen. 

He carefully put the letter back exactly as he’d found it, and his hands weren’t shaking, really they weren’t, except that they totally were. He walked back to the Club Green Room, smiling and thanking people who stopped to congratulate him. 

He took the bus back to the hotel and pleaded exhaustion and the need to call his parents and left the impromptu party in the hospitality suite. He called his parents and smiled when his mom cried, then left Sera a message thanking her. 

Finally, he sent Jensen a text, saying simply, “Got the part!” Then he rolled himself up in all of the blankets and stared at the wall. He didn’t answer the phone when SexyBack started playing an hour later.

He thought about how they were right there in Dallas and Jensen didn’t take him to meet his family.

He thought about how Jensen hadn’t told him that 5X Everything was breaking up until he’d absolutely had to, even though he’d clearly known about it for months.

He thought about how Jensen had yet to mention what his plans were once tour was over.

He thought about how Jensen didn’t want anyone to know they were dating.

He thought about what things were going to be like once Jensen was gone, and he kept thinking about it until he fell asleep.

* * * 

Jared managed not to take any of Jensen’s calls between Jacksonville and Orlando by turning his phone off. He did check his text messages and responded to Jensen’s congratulations in as few words as possible. To Jensen’s “Can’t wait to see you!” he simply replied, “Sure.”

It was on the tip of his tongue a few times to tell Alexis or Chad about the letter, but pride or stupidity or pain or all three held him back. Once Jensen left for school — sooner rather than later if he was starting fall classes — Jared figured he could act like he’d known about it for a while.

He mentally rehearsed saying things like, “The timing just wasn’t right for us,” or, “We both have other things going on right now,” or, “We knew it was just a summer thing from the start.”

He figured if he could pull off any of those lines, he was a way better actor than he gave himself credit for.

It helped that there was a lot to do. The Orlando show was huge, with an extended performance, so they started double rehearsals the day after the Jacksonville concert and didn’t let up. Then there were calls with Sera and with executives and papers to sign and then a script arrived for him to start going over. On top of it all, there were end-of-tour parties and going-away parties and you-got-the-part parties. 

Jared let all of it carry him along, and tried not to wonder if he was even going to see Jensen again or if he was just going to get some voicemail message telling him that he was off to college, sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, it was a great summer.

By final show day, a huge lump had lodged itself in Jared’s throat, and he knew his eyes were constantly shiny. The Club girls were all weepy before the last show, and even the guys were hugging everyone. Jared found that he was actually sad to be doing his last show — Mickey Mouse Club had been his life for five years, and he’d met his best friends there. It was strange to think he wouldn’t be getting on that bus again next year.

After the lights went down on that final number, Jared sank into a couch in the Green Room and put his head back, watching his castmates gathering their things and talking about their upcoming break and subsequent return to filming in a month. Alexis came and sat beside him and he put an arm around her. She put her hand on his knee.

“You okay?” she whispered, and he nodded. 

“Weird, isn’t it?” he said, and she nodded, her eyes dewy. She snuggled into him and he rested his face on the top of her head. 

When Kripke started yelling at everyone to board the bus, Jared let Alexis pull away, but didn’t get up.

“I think I’m going to stay here for a little bit,” he said, squeezing her hand. “I’ll snag a ride back to the hotel.”

“Maybe from Jensen?” Alexis said teasingly, and Jared half-smiled.

“Maybe,” he said. “I just kind of want to say goodbye to all of it.”

Alexis leaned in and kissed him lightly on the forehead. “Join us for the after-party when you’re ready,” she said, and in a few minutes, he was alone in the Green Room.

He shut his eyes and put his head back and listened as 5X Everything gave their final performance. He heard the clamor of the callback and then the encore, and then the announcer telling the crowd that Hannah Montana was coming up next. 

It’s really over, he thought, and really, he wasn’t sitting there alone, hoping that Jensen would somehow stumble upon him and undo everything that had gone wrong. 

It was Labor Day Saturday, and Jared was pretty sure that meant Jensen would be starting classes that week, and suddenly he was horribly afraid that he wouldn’t see Jensen again, that that day at his house was the last time they’d ever speak, and really, didn’t they owe each other that much, to say goodbye in person, and the thought spurred him off the couch and into the hallway.

Backstage was the biggest mess he had ever seen, with personnel and security and the fireworks people and somewhere poor Miley Cyrus’ crazy Achy-Breaky Heart dad screaming about a dress. The hallway to the 5X Everything Green Room was completely blocked by security and press and several sobbing fangirls with backstage passes, so Jared ducked around to a different path, which was also blocked, so he diverted yet again and found himself actually backstage, right behind the banners, picking his way through scaffolding, when he literally knocked someone over.

“Sorry!” he squawked. “I’m really sorry, are you okay?” and he’d reached down and helped the person to her feet before he realized it was Miley herself.

“It’s okay, I’m all right,” she was reassuring him.

“I’m just,” Jared waved a hand around vaguely, “trying to find a way to the other side and it’s a madhouse back there.”

“Tell me about it,” Miley said, dusting herself off. “I can’t wait for this tour to be over. Hey,” and she put a hand on Jared’s arm, “is my dad still screaming about that dress?”

“Um,” Jared said, not sure how to answer, and Miley rolled her eyes.

“He special-ordered it from Italy and it’s got the wrong color accent threading or something stupid,” she said. “I think he’s going to have a stroke over it, like anyone in the audience is going to know or notice. I just had to, you know,” she ended lamely.

Jared half-grinned. “Are you hiding back here?” he asked.

“Don’t rat me out!” Miley whispered. “I just needed a few minutes alone to focus. It’s like a two-hour show and I need my head in the game, not worried about Dad killing some poor Italian designer.”

Jared laughed. “Don’t worry, you were never here. I was never here. I don’t have a clue where you are,” he reassured her, and Miley breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Thanks,” she said sincerely. “I’ll get back there in a few minutes.”

“Have a great show,” Jared said, and started to move around her.

“Aren’t you done?” Miley asked curiously. “Didn’t you guys wrap a while ago?”

“Uh, yeah,” Jared said. “It’s just, it’s my last show, and I was kind of hanging, being all sappy, and now I’m just headed over to see the guys —” He waved toward the other side of the stage. 

“Five Times E?” Miley asked. “Off to wish them well?”

Jared flushed. “Something like that,” he admitted. “I need to catch up with Jensen about something before he takes off.”

“Right,” Miley said, and she was smiling. “You two seem like good friends. He seems like an awesome guy.”

Jared was turning even redder, and seriously, why did he have to be such a goober? “He’s, yeah, he’s awesome,” he said, and how much more obvious could he be?

“Can’t let friendships like that slip away,” Miley said. “Even when everything else changes. Those are the things that really matter, not all this,” and she waved a hand at the scaffolding, the stage, the screaming, hidden crowd.

Jared actually felt his heart flop over. “That is what matters,” he said. 

From further backstage, he heard Miley’s dad bellowing her name. She winced. “I better go,” she said. “It was really nice talking to you, Jared. Good luck, with whatever you decide.”

“Thanks,” Jared said slowly, and then before she’d even started to walk away he’d spun around and was dodging through the scaffolding and running through the halls and one of the guards yelled, “Hey, Jared, most of the guys are out on the bus,” and he’d banged open the door to the 5X Everything Green Room, and there was Jensen, pulling on his shoes and looking up in astonishment.

“Jared!” Jensen said, but Jared knocked the door shut and rushed over to grab Jensen by the upper arms.

“Just let me say this,” he said, heart pounding in his ears and chest heaving from the run. “I know about UT-Austin and you going away to school and I know you never meant to end up in a boy band, that you wanted to be an actor and this isn’t what you ever wanted for yourself and I understand that and I want you to be happy and do the things you want to do and I know I just got this part but it’s just a stupid teen drama and it’s not that important, it’s not what really matters, this is what really matters, you and me, this is what is important to me, and maybe you don’t want to, I don’t know, but if you want to try then I’ll do whatever it takes, and maybe I could go to school too or we could do the long-distance thing but however you want to try that’s what I want to do because you said I needed to make decisions for myself or other people would choose for me and this is what I choose, Jensen,” and Jared took a deep, shuddering breath and made himself speak slower.

“You’re what I want, Jensen,” he said, looking right into Jensen’s astounded eyes. “You are what I choose,” and then he made himself shut up.

Jensen opened and closed his mouth a few times, and his eyes were tender. “Jay,” he finally said, and pulled Jared in to kiss him full and deep on the lips, clutching Jared’s head in his hands. 

When they pulled apart, breathless, Jared whispered, “So what does that mean? What are we going to do?”

“Jared,” and Jensen had a look of fond amusement on his face, “why do you think I’m going to UT?”

“I found a letter,” Jared said reluctantly, and pulled away from Jensen. “I wasn’t snooping, seriously, but it was the night I found out I had the _Chilton Academy_ part and I didn’t have my phone and I came into your Green Room but missed you and wanted to leave you a note so I was looking for some paper, and, well, there it was.”

Jensen stood up and put his hands on Jared’s arms. “I’m so sorry,” he said. “This is my fault. I should have told you a long time ago.”

“Wish you had,” Jared mumbled, unable to look Jensen in the eyes. 

“Not about UT,” Jensen said, and Jared dared to look up at him.

“Not about college?” he asked, and Jensen shook his head.

“I should have told you a long time ago that I love you,” Jensen said. “That I’d never just up and leave you because, seriously, I’m so in love that I don’t think I could make myself leave, even if I wanted to.”

Jared opened and shut his mouth repeatedly, and he knew he looked like some stupid, bug-eyed fish, but he just couldn’t stop it. 

Jensen, though, was looking at him like he was, well, like he was the best thing in the world.

“UT was my back-up school,” Jensen said.

“Back-up?” Jared echoed, because he was worse than a stupid, bug-eyed fish, he was a stupid, bug-eyed echoing fish.

Jensen nodded. “My first choice was UCLA,” he said. “I start in January.”

“Oh,” Jared said, and was almost dizzy, so he clutched at Jensen’s arms. “Oh.” His mind reeled and he finally sputtered out, “Then you and me, I mean, we’re, so we’re —?”

Jensen had a gigantic grin on his face. “I was kind of hoping you’d be my TV-star boyfriend,” Jensen said, and Jared knew he was grinning like an insanely happy maniac, but he was an insanely happy maniac and he didn’t care how stupid it was or who saw or anything else, because he didn’t think he’d had a happier moment in his life, ever.

“Really?” he said, and Jensen nodded. “Because that would be — that would be the best thing ever,” Jared said, and then he was kissing Jensen and holding him like he was never going to let go, because, really, why should he?

“I think so too,” Jensen whispered against his lips when they both had to pause to breath. “I think it’s going to be pretty great.”

“Are you kidding?” Jared said. “It’s going to be awesome,” but Jensen couldn’t answer because Jared was kissing him again and it was the best thing in the world.

* * * 

“That was the best thing in the world,” Braylin said, happy and tired and dazed.

“I can’t believe it’s over,” Payton said, starry-eyed and blissed out.

“This has been the best day of my life,” Whitney said, and had to wipe a little tear out of her eye.

Shoulder-to-shoulder in the back seat of the mini-van, identical 5X Everything T-shirts on, glow necklaces still glowing, they slumped against each other in giddy exhaustion. 

“Let’s never forget this,” Braylin said seriously. “Let’s never forget how we feel right now.”

“How could we?” Whitney said. “No matter what happens, for the rest of my life, nothing could be better than this.”

Payton sniffled. “I’m so glad we were all together for it,” she said tearfully, and held out her pinky finger. “You’re my best friends forever, and it’s the best night of our lives.”

Braylin hooked her pinky to Payton’s. “Whenever we’re apart, we can think about right now,” she said solemnly.

Whitney hooked her pinky to the other girls’. “No matter what,” she said seriously, “we’ll always have Five Times Everything.”

“Forever,” Payton said.

“For always,” Braylin added, and then the girls stretched seat belts and arms to envelope each other in a giant hug.

* * * 

*

 _Chilton Academy_ ran for five years and was nominated for two Golden Globes for writing. Alexis Bledel was the show’s top-credited star for all five years. She has gone on to make numerous movies.

*

Chad Michael Murray’s character was expelled from Chilton Academy in Season One. He returned for half a season in Season Four. Chad has gone on to make many movies, including _Cornfield Massacre_ with Jared Padalecki. He is currently getting his second divorce and starring in the CW family drama _Siblings_.

*

*

Steve Carlton and Christian Kane formed the folk-pop music duo Phantom Traveler. Their most recent album, _Lazarus Rising_ , won a Grammy.

*

Tom Welling married his girlfriend, Jamie. He is currently starring in his seventh season as Clark Kent/Superman in the CW’s _Metropolis_.

*

Michael Rosenbaum became a producer of boy bands, putting out 23 Top 10 hits from four different groups. He recently bought an $8 million estate in Napa Valley. 

*

Samanatha Ferris works for Michael Rosenbaum.

*

Jensen Ackles graduated with honors from UCLA with a double major in English and theatre. He starred in a number of low-budget and indie movies until gaining acclaim, and an Oscar nomination, for his role as a man touched by a faith-healer in _Faith_. He is currently starring in the Steven Spielberg World War II drama _Provenance_ opposite Jessica Alba.

*

Jared Padalecki starred in _Chilton Academy_ for four years. He made a number of teen horror movies, including _Monster Truck_ , _Cornfield Massacre_ and _Hell Hazers_ , before becoming a regular on the Fox supernatural drama _Ghostfacers_ for two years. He is now a regular on the third-rated ABC medical drama _ICU_. 

*

Jensen and Jared live in Los Angeles with their dogs, Sadie, Harley and Icarus. They were named one of Hollywood’s Cutest Couples this year by _US_ magazine. 

*

Eric Kripke is still the Talent Manager for the Mickey Mouse Club summer tour.


	6. US Magazine, July 2009: Hollywood's Cutest Couples

Jensen Ackles & Jared Padalecki  
   
From teenage pop heartthrobs to A-list actors, Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki have stuck together through it all. The couple first started dating in 2009 when they were on tour together for the Disney Channel, Jared for the Mickey Mouse Club and Jensen for the boy band sensation 5X Everything. Ten years later, they’re sharing a house in Los Angeles and are happy co-parents to a large, furry brood – dogs Sadie, Harley and Icarus.  
   
Jensen dropped off the entertainment scene for several years while he pursued a degree at UCLA while Jared worked steadily on teen dramas and horror movies. Once he did start working again, Jensen declined to pick the mic back up, seeking out indie films and quirky roles instead. It was a gamble that paid off with his 2016 Oscar nomination for his role in the film Faith.  
   
These days, we all know Jared as San Francisco’s sexiest male nurse on the ABC drama ICU, while Jensen just finished filming the Stephen Spielberg WWII mystery-drama Provenance. The two have yet to share the screen together, save a cameo that Jensen did on the Fox supernatural drama Ghostfacers, which Jared starred in for two years. Jared, however, hints that the couple may spend some on-screen time together soon.  
   
“Every time we see Spielberg, he’s all, ‘Oh, Jared, please be in one of my movies, please, I’ll never make another good movie if you’re not in it,’” he says with a wide grin. “But I couldn’t do a Spielberg movie without giving Jensen here a chance. I always try to encourage him to do his best.”  
   
Jensen smiles and shakes his head. “It’s true,” he says. “I only get roles because people want to meet Jared. It’s why I keep him around, really.”  
   
The couple kept their relationship quiet for several years, coming out with little fanfare in 2011. The notoriously private Jensen and the gregarious Jared can seem an odd match, but a decade together has proven that they fit perfectly.  
   
“We just didn’t want to crush everyone, you know, when they found out we were off the market,” Jared says of the period they kept their relationship secret. Then he adds, more seriously, “And we wanted to make sure we were on stable ground, that we really wanted to do this thing, before the world put us under its lens.”  
   
“I’m pretty private,” Jensen says. “I’ve never really liked advertising my personal life, but it’s something I’ve grown more comfortable with over time.”  
   
So what’s the key to their success?  
   
“Jensen is really, really grateful to be with an awesome guy like me,” Jared says. “I mean, wouldn’t anybody be? He likes to wait on me hand and foot, buy me expensive gifts, cater to my every whim. I like that, that’s important to me in a relationship.”  
   
Jensen is shaking his head. “We laugh a lot,” he says. “I think that’s the key – no matter what is going on, you can laugh about it together.” – US


End file.
